Ruler of the Shadows: Battle City
by MzNightmare13
Summary: Most college students just have to worry about exams, but not Yami he along with his boyfriend must continue to unravel the mysteries that surround Yugi's millennium puzzle. That may not be so hard when new trouble arrives with the start of a new tournament being held by no other than Yami's own brother. Welcome to the Battle City tournament!
1. Chapter 1

**Ruler of the Shadows: Battle City**

 **Pairings:** YamixYugi (main) with side pairings JoeyxSeto, DukexTea, RyouxBakura. Also a new pairing of MarikxMalik with possible TristanxSerenity

 **Summary:** Most college students just have to worry about exams, but not Yami he along with his boyfriend must continue to unravel the mysteries that surround Yugi's millennium puzzle. That may not be so hard when new trouble arrives with the start of a new tournament being held by no other than Yami's own brother. Welcome to the Battle City tournament!

* * *

 **Sakura:** So something that should have taken no time at all ended up taking forever to get together. But the wait is over here is Ruler of the Shadows: Battle City! I'm hoping it was worth the wait and sorry I couldn't get it done sooner. Big thanks to **S2teennovelist** as always for helping me get in gear and plotting out some rough patches. This first part of the story was a major pain, but so much fun to write. As mentioned with my other story I've taken the main plot from the Yu-Gi-Oh mangas and added in my own twist. Some will be similar to the mangas while some moments will be all my own ideas.

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not and never will belong to me!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **New Game**

The day started out like any other summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping their little songs, and people were out and about soaking up the fantastic weather Domino City was being blessed with. This did not exclude Yugi Mutou as he finished getting himself ready for a fun day out with his friends. He, along with his lover and friends had all recently finished their second year of college and we're attempting to make the most of their break before they would be pulled back to lectures, textbooks, and exams in the fall. It would also be different when they returned as most of them would no longer be taking the same classes due to all of them having different majors. A few may overlap here or there but other than that they were all moving on with their lives and following their dreams. Although they were all determine to maintain their friendships through it all one way or another.

Aside from not having to worry about classes for the new few months, a few within the group of friends still had part time jobs. However on this beautiful day somehow all of them managed to have the day off and planned a long overdue day out together. Whether it is goofing off downtown or possible fighting the crowds to spend time at the beach, there was no telling where the day would take them.

Well that is for those who would be a part of it.

"What do you mean you can't come?" Yugi asked to his boyfriend on the other end of the phone. If only he could see the pout Yugi was sporting he would probably crave in from cuteness. "We had this planned all week."

" _I'm sorry but something came up_." Yami tried to reason with his little lover. He was just glad he didn't have to face the look he knew Yugi was giving him. " _I promise I'll make it up to you."_

Yugi put his cell on speaker phone before tossing it on the bed beside him so he could put on his tennis shoes. "You wouldn't have to make it up to me if you would just come along. What is so important that you have to bail on us?"

" _It's nothing you need to worry about love_." Yugi rolled his eyes at the weak attempt on Yami's part at sweet talking him. " _If I finish up early I'll meet up with you later_."

"Even your workaholic brother is going to be there." Yugi felt the need to point out since it was extremely rare for Seto to want to go anyway with them. Joey was rather persuasive when he wanted to be. It was sometimes strange how well those two made a relationship work.

"Yugi! Tea's here!" The young duelist heard from his grandfather outside his open skylight where he was letting the summer breeze in. Moving over to the window he shouted that he be done in a minute before closing the window.

" _I guess that's my cue to hang up…"_ Yami chuckled from the other end. " _Have fun today and I promise I'll make it up to you."_

Yugi glared at his phone as if Yami could see it. "You won't hear the end of this mister." He said before grabbing his phone and hanging up. Although as soon as he did he could not stop himself from sending a quick text to Yami that told him he loved him and to be careful with whatever he was doing. No matter how much Yami could make him mad or get on his nerves, there was this part of Yugi that would forever love him no matter what. They were like any other couple that had those moments where they fought enough to want to be away from each other and then they had those little fights that blew over in a few hours. Love was not easy but Yugi could not picture himself without Yami in his life.

With a sigh he pocketed his phone and remembered to grab his wallet before he hurried out the door. There was no point in keeping Tea waiting if she had come all this way to pick him up. Outside he found her standing with his grandfather who was sweeping the front path of the store.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," He told her as he pulled the strap of his backpack up a little higher on his shoulder. He had thankfully remembered to pack his small bag the day before of items needed for the beach if they ended up there.

Tea waved it off and smiled at him, "Not a problem I haven't been waiting long but I hope you don't mind walking."

Yugi almost looked confused at first until he realized Tea's car wasn't parked out front. "Let me guess, it's at Duke's?"

"He was going to be a minute so I figured I'd get a little fresh air." She informed him as they both waved bye to Yugi's grandfather and started the short walk to Duke's family game shop. It was only a couple blocks away and it was even in view of Kame, since the small little shop sat on a corner. Both stores had perfect spots for when kids and teens got out of school and had to head home. Thankfully despite there being this weird thing between Solomon and Duke's father, both stores were able to co-exist as they both sold different games. Plus it kind of helped Kame out that Yugi was the King of Games and thanks to Yami had a contact with Kaiba Corp now to help sells. Duke managed on his own since he was a great game designer and was able to reach out to the video game type customers.

The two looked both ways before they quickly crossed the street. "How has he been anyway?" Yuugi asked out of the blue since much like his own boyfriend, he heard from Tea that Duke had been all up into this new game he was creating that would put him on the gaming map.

"He won't talk to me about it wanting to keep it under wraps until the release." Tea let him know what she knew. "Last I heard he was pretty much done and the release should be sometime next week."

Yuugi nodded glad that his friend was doing well, "Yami won't tell me much either since I know those two tell each other everything. It is odd how wrapped up those two can be when they are working on their projects."

"This is what we get for dating game designers." Tea teased as she looked ahead at the Black Crown game shop.

"Duke's coming today isn't he?"

Tea nodded, "I told him he could take a day off to relax. I let him stress over his game all throughout our spring semester but he doesn't need to burn himself out over summer break too. Plus as far as I do know is that he is done with the game just has to put the final touches before its release."

Yugi was a little jealous to hear that, but did not let it show. "Wish it was that easy with Yami. I think I would have to drug him and drag him out of the house in order for him to get to join us." He looked to her as he asked, "So I guess since Duke's hanging out with us, that Yami's not helping him?"

"Wait Yami's not coming?" She asked in surprise to which Yugi shook his head. "Well that sucks I thought we would all get to be together today. I wonder what it could be that would make him cancel like that."

"You think Duke would know?"

Tea shrugged, "That or Seto would. I pretty sure Joey is dragging him along somehow."

Yugi made a mental note to ask Seto if he saw him unless he somehow wormed his way out of their little get together. But there was something else that Yugi had been meaning to ask Tea once he got a chance to talk to her in person. They had been busy with the end of the semester finals that he never had the chance before. "Speaking of Yami, have you noticed him acting strange lately?"

The question caused Tea to stop and look at Yugi in complete confusion. Thankfully they were just outside Duke's game shop and next to Tea's car so she could give all her attention back to her friend. "What do you mean? Besides some stress from those finals I haven't noticed anything. However I really don't get to hang out with him as much as you do."

"You're not the only." Yugi said with this sad look in his eyes. "Lately we haven't been as close and it feels weird. Normally I get a surprise date or Yami's calling me up wanting me to stay with him at his apartment. But recently there have been no dates and I feel like the only time I get to see him is when we were in classes together."

Tea had no idea how Yugi had been feeling lately. "How long as this been going on?" She found herself asking wanting to help him in any way she could.

"A month…"

A month really wasn't that bad but for Yami that was a little odd. Yugi and Yami were normally glued to the hip and always looked every bit the fairy tale happy couple minus a few bumps in the road. It really wasn't Tea's place to be drawing any conclusions but it was odd for Yami to distance himself so much from them.

"Do you think he's tired of me?"

"Wait…NO!" Tea found herself saying a little too loudly and nearly scared a few kids passing by. She blushed a little and offered the children a smile before turning back to her friend. She placed her hands on Yugi's shoulders and made him look up at her. "If anything you are Yami's world. He loves you and don't you ever doubt that mister." She gave him this stern look that told him he better listen.

Yugi was glad for the words of encouragement from her but for some reason it did not make him feel that much better. "But what could be keeping him away. I figured after exams we would spend as much time as we could together. I barely see him anymore and I only get these phone calls now and again. If this keeps up Tea I don't know what I'll do."

Tea let go of her friend and put one hand on her hip while the other hand she placed on her chin getting into her thinking pose. "Let's see…. I've heard before that normally when couples become distance it's the start of the end." She noticed Yugi's horrified face that she quickly said, "However we know that there is no way in hell Yami would be breaking up with you. So either he's busy with some super-secret project…no I don't think that would be the case, but he could be planning something big for your birthday…however that's still a few weeks away and no reason for him to become distance unless…."

Yugi watched as Tea got his big smile on her face and clapped her hands together, "He could be planning the perfect way to propose."

"Propose?!" Yugi shouted going tomato red within a second.

"I'm just saying it's a possibility," Tea said before she added with, "However if he was going to do it I figured he would have already done it before now. You two have been together for what feels like forever. Hell I thought maybe you two would have at least gotta engage after high school."

"Uh…" Yugi couldn't even form a proper sentence anymore. The idea was not beyond him but just the idea of Yami planning to propose was another story. Sure they had been together but were they ready for marriage. They were still in college and there was no telling where their careers would take them. Marriage was for people who were ready to settle down and have families. Were they really ready for that?

Tea saw the gears turning in Yugi's head and she started to get worried. He had been quiet and was staring at nothing as if lost in thought. She hadn't meant to scare him if anything she thought he might be excited by the idea that Yami might propose. Truth is they had no idea what Yami was planning. Her and her big mouth… "Yugi," She spoke up placing her hands back on his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. "Hey, don't start freaking out on me. It was not my place to say anything…"

"Do you really think he might?" Yugi found his voice and asked. "I mean are we ready for something like that."

"Ready?" Tea questioned back. If anyone was ready it was Yugi and Yami. With Yugi's reaction it was like marriage was just dropped on his head and he was going to get married that day. "Honestly only you and Yami can figure out if you are ready to get married."

"Who's getting married?" They both turned as Duke walked up to them only hearing the end part of Tea's sentence. He looked between the two wondering what he had missed. "Anything I should know about?"

Tea shook her head as she went in search of her keys in her purse. "No nothing important. All ready to go?"

Duke nodded as he tossed his bag in the backseat once Tea found her keys and unlocked the doors. "Where are we meeting the others?"

"The park," Yugi spoke up knowing most of the plans for the day. Although now it felt like a million thoughts were running through his head making it hard to focus. "It would be easy if we all meet up to figure out the rest of our plans."

Duke agreed with him, "Sounds good to me. You can sit up front if you want Yugi."

Yugi nodded and moved as if on auto pilot to the passenger seat as Tea got in the driver seat with Duke in the back. "Hey Yugi try to forget what I said and have fun. I didn't mean to worry you." Tea apologized before she started the car. She did not mean to cause her friend any trouble.

"It's okay, if anything it's left me with some things to think about." Yugi offered her a smile to show he was okay before he turned his attention to his friend in the back. "By the way have you heard from Yami?"

Duke shrugged, "Here and there. He called just the other day to see how I was doing since the release is so close on my game. My schedule has been so crazy lately I feel like I haven't had time to do anything else. Why isn't he coming too?"

Yugi faced back forward answering with a simple, "No…"

Duke looked at the rear view mirror to see Tea giving him look as they stopped at the red light. He knew that look, so he gave her a smile before pulling out his phone. One way or another he would find out what his best friend was up to that he would ignore his boyfriend.

* * *

"That really wasn't smart do to that. One day isn't going to kill you."

"I know but this couldn't be done on any other day," Yami told the spirit sitting beside him as he looked over the papers in front of him on the coffee table. He was at his brother's place which was much better for having a meeting at than his small apartment which needed a serious cleaning.

"You should have rescheduled. Your lover is more important than anything else." The spirit really couldn't speak from any experience since he had no memories of his past. It wasn't long ago that both he and Yami just thought he was a split side to the teen that he created. Thankfully that was not true but they still had no clue who or what he was and what his purpose was living inside Yami's head.

Yami sighed as he heard his phone buzz but ignored it for now. "I'll make it up to him. This is the only day I can get this done and if I don't finish everything won't work out like I want it to."

The spirit rolled his eyes as he looked at the papers shattered about. He knew what Yami was up to and he supported him but he did not understand all these meetings and paperwork. It was keeping his host very busy and if he did not watch it could hurt his relationship with his friends and family and most importantly his boyfriend.

The constant buzzing of his phone finally forced Yami to pick it up and look over the texts he had gotten. One from his lover, one from his brother and about three from Duke. The one from Yugi he had already read but always held on to his text. His brother was texting him updates of their plans in case Yami ended up free and then Duke was blowing up his phone wondering what the hell his problem was.

Judging from the text Yugi had told Tea who probably somehow talked her boyfriend into finding out what Yami was up to. He wanted to tell the others he really did but he did not want them ruining everything by letting Yugi find out. The less people knew of his plans the better. At this point only his twin and the spirit beside him knew of what he was planning and he wanted to keep it that way until he revealed everything to his partner.

Sending a quick text to get his friend to stop, Yami turned his attention back to his work. "I still worry what his answer might be. If he says no then all of this will be for nothing."

"Never doubt your partner you'll never know the answer until you ask."

"I sure hope your right…"

"Who are you talking to?" The question nearly caused Yami to jump out of his skin as he turned to see his younger brother standing there. He was dressed to go out but Yami had thought he had already left.

Yami quickly put on a small smile for Mokuba and said, "Oh just thinking out loud. I thought you had already left with your friends." Sometimes he hated that his friends couldn't see the spirit because it really did look like he was talking to himself. It made it twice as hard since Yami had never told Mokuba about the spirit. Seto knew but Yami did not want to worry his younger brother.

Mokuba waved his cell phone, "My ride just got here. What about you, I thought you had plans with your boyfriend?"

"I did but I had some work to do."

"Well don't let it keep you from enjoying the beautiful day," Mokuba informed him as he walked away shouting over his shoulder, "I'll see ya later."

Yami listened for the front door to shut before he went back to work. His meeting would be taking place before long and he had to be ready. The spirit watched on silently as he watched his host work. He really did pray that things work out for Yami.

* * *

It was no surprise the park was crowded but at least it wasn't hard to find the large group of friends. Tristan, Joey, Seto, Ryou, and Bakura were already there hanging around one of the many picnic tables throughout Domino park. Seto sat at the table with his arms crossed and eyes closed looking somewhat out of his element. Which honestly was no surprise really since he normally was either on his laptop or his phone and since neither were around he had nothing to do. Joey sat beside him with Tristan across both talking about something that seemed unimportant.

Ryou and Bakura looked to be minding their own business as Bakura watched his partner who was drawing something in a stretch pad. After getting to know the two over the past year they found that despite being so opposite the two were perfect for each other like Yugi and Yami. They created a balance that only they understood.

No one had really changed that much since Ryou and Bakura joined the group as they were the same young adults going to university to give themselves a better education. About the only thing that had changed was the missing of Tomoya. He had left not long after classes ended for the summer to join his parents in America. There was talk that Tomoya's mother was going to move to the States to be with her husband since Tomoya was growing into a find young man who could take care of himself. He had changed a lot since his high school days making his parents both proud of him. However there was also talk among the group that Tomoya was thinking of studying aboard starting in the fall meaning he would be staying in the states even longer for either only a semester or his whole third year. It was a big step for Tomoya wanting to broaden his horizon by continuing his studies outside Japan where he was born and raised.

All of them were supportive of their friend and wished him the best in whatever he decided. Nothing was set in stone yet and that was one of the many reasons Tomoya went to visit his parents in the states for the summer to see if it was something he really wanted to do. He would have to carefully weigh the choice, but his friends had no doubt he would choice to be with his parents.

So other than missing one of their friends and Yami deciding to skip out on them everyone was together as it should be on a day like that. As soon as they walked up to the table Yugi moved up behind Seto placing his hands on the tall CEO's shoulders. Seto did not even jump at the contact and simple opened his eyes turning his head to look at Yugi.

"Can I help you?"

Yugi gave him his best smile as he said, "You're not the reason Yami didn't come is it?"

"Whether I'm here or not my brother would not care" Seto scoffed as he turned back forward, "And if you're asking if I have him working on some little project, no I do not. He's reason for not being here is his own business not mine."

Well at least that was one of the many things on Yugi's list marked off. He was pretty sure Seto wouldn't lie to him because even though they were not all too friendly with each other, Seto had still come a long way from hating Yugi. It was kind of nice being able to visit the Kaiba brothers without Seto and Mokuba wanting to kill him. They all had come a long way making Yugi feel more welcomed.

"Wait a minute Yami is not coming," Joey stated like he was just coming up to speed. He turned from facing Tristan to facing the other three who had just showed up. "We had this planned out for like a week. Why he bail?"

Yugi shrugged, "Just called this morning saying he had something to do and he would meet up with us if he got done early." He made it sound like it was no big deal but all his friends knew it was. "It's not the first time it's happened…"

"Still…"

"He's got his reasons…" Seto interrupted his own boyfriend before he could say whatever he was going to say. All eyes turned to him so he added, "I don't know what those reasons are, but he's been busy with something and we all know it's probably something special for Yugi if he's willing to skip out on today."

The idea Tea had put in Yugi's head from earlier resurfaced causing the duelist to blush for no reason.

Tea knew what he was thinking but quickly changed the subject to keep the others from noticing, "So what are we going to do first?" They had the whole day ahead of them with nothing in their way.

"I don't know about you all but this heats getting to me," Tristan said pulling at the collar of his short sleeve shirt. "I say we hit the beach first before all the good spots are taken."

All around no one could disagree with him with that plan. So they gathered themselves and headed back to their vehicles with talk of what else they could do once they were finished cooling off.

* * *

Yugi did not make it back home until well after the sun had set for the day. After spending hours at the beach, then going to the arcade, and a little shopping downtown, he was worn out. Tea dropped him off at the side door that lead into the house on her way to take Duke home next. Yugi bid them both goodnight and watched as she drove away before he turned to unlock the door knowing his grandfather and mother were probably both already in bed. However he stopped in his tracks when he noticed something taped to the door.

Taped there on the door was an arrow pointing toward the front of the store. He walked forward taking it off the door and looking at it. In the light of the streetlamp he did not see anything else on the paper and it caused him to wonder who may have put it there. If there was something wrong with the door his grandfather or mother would have called to tell him. Before he could get too deep into thinking about it he noticed something else out of the corner of his eye. Looking down he saw rose petals in a line going down the sidewalk and around the corner to the front of the store.

Now something like that was both romantic and a little on the creepy side. However curiosity still was getting the better of him as he slowly walked toward the front of the store. There was only one person who would pull something like this off and he hoped it was who he thought it was and not some creepy stranger.

Turning the corner Yugi let out a sigh of relief to see it was Yami standing happily in front of the game shop with a dozen roses in hand. He had been leaning against his new car that he got about half a year ago. It was a lot better than borrowing his brother's limo if they wanted to go anywhere and Yami wasn't sure why he did not do it sooner.

"Hey…"

"Hey…" Yugi replied back as he stepped up to Yami. He was glad to see him but also still a little mad and there was that nagging reminder of what he and Tea talked about. However the more he thought about it the more he did not mind the idea.

"These are for you, sorry I didn't finish early." Yami apologized as he handed the roses over to Yugi.

Yugi took them loving the smell that reached his nose. "It's alright, did you get everything done?"

Yami nodded as he put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah and I'm here to make it up to you."

"It's kind of late," Yugi informed his partner. He was glad to see him and all but he was tired.

"I understand…." He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Yugi.

Taking the brochure in his hands Yugi looked at the cover and noticed it was from a familiar hotel in Tokyo. He recognized that place because Yami took him there once after their high school graduation. It was the same time that he and Yami… Oh just the memories caused Yugi to fight down the blush. "Why are you showing me this?"

Yami had a blush of his own on his face as he said, "I figured we could get away just the two of us for a whole weekend. We haven't taken a trip together in a long while and I know I've been busy not spending much time with you or the others."

There was no reason to truly say no to Yami, but Yugi didn't want to go on a trip just because Yami felt guilty about skipping out on him and his friends. Then again getting away from Domino to have some alone time with his boyfriend. It was hard to get that when Yugi lived with his mother and grandfather and Yami lived with two of their friends while sometimes staying at his brother's place. There really wasn't a place they could be alone.

"Are you sure? Because you know what happened the last time we made plans."

Yami grinned at him as he proudly said, "That's why I didn't plan this out. We'll leave now and spend the whole weekend in Tokyo and see where each day takes us. That is under one condition…."

"And that is?"

"We don't answer our cell phones during this trip." Yami replied showing his own which was turned off. "If there's an emergency I left all the information with Seto so he can get in touch with us through the hotel."

The idea was sounding more and more appealing by the second, "So we'll be completely cut off for a whole weekend. Just the two of us to spend the days how we want…"

"If you will come with me…" Yami held out his hand and loved the feel when Yugi's hand reached out to hold his. He wasted no time pulling him close to wrap his arms around. No one was around as they kissed under the street lamps lost in their own little world.

Only when they needed to breath did they break apart with smiles on their faces. Yugi couldn't wait to get going however when he went to pull away he found Yami's grip tighten. He never even got to ask the question as Yami as if reading Yugi's mind said, "I've already packed your bags and your family knows I'm kidnapping you for a few days."

"Oh I love a man who thinks ahead." Yugi said feeling all giddy inside just from Yami's kisses and touch. He missed this moments so much and if true to his word there would be many more to come.

"Just as I love you," Yami affirmed as he took the roses back along with Yugi's bag. He led Yugi like a gentlemen to the passenger seat. Once he was in the car, Yami put Yugi's items in the back being careful not to kill the roses and then hurried to the driver seat. Yugi considered himself extremely lucky to have a man like Yami in his life and no matter what he really knew how to sweep Yugi off his feet.

* * *

 **Sakura:** I hope I didn't bore everyone too much with the first chapter. It's a little filler one to start things off before all the action happens. Kind of the chapter that goes between this story and the one before it. Plus I left a puzzling question for all my readers to try and figure out what Yami is up to. No it's wasn't the trip that was simply to make up for not coming to the friendly outing with their friends. Yami is up to something much bigger and it will be revealed in a few chapters so you won't have to wait long. Just curious to see what all the readers think. Oh and before people ask, no the next chapter is not Yugi's and Yami's trip to Tokyo... that I'll just leave to your own imaginations.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Thanks to all those who reviewed, added to favorites, and are now following this story. It feels so good to get this story up and moving along. I'm going to try and update once a week but it depends on my schedule at work. So far so good for now so please enjoy the next chapter...

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **D.D.M**

The days that followed into the month of June were the perfect time for the launch of Duke Devlin's first game release of his game called D.D.M. No one not even his friends knew what the letters stood for or what the game was about. They only knew that it was something completely different that no one had seen before and he invited them all to the release date to check it out. Although out of all of them Yugi had to be the luckiest because Duke promised him a free copy as a birthday gift since Yugi's birthday happen to land the day after the game was to release. It would be an early gift but something Yugi was excited to see.

Things seem to settle down within the group as the hot days of summer rolled in. Yugi and Yami were doing better after their weekend getaway. Nothing major happen just the two of them being together like any couple should enjoying some alone time. In a way Yugi was a little bummed out because he thought Tea might be right and Yami might propose but when nothing happened so he let it go. If it was going to happen it would at its own time and Yugi would happily wait for that day. He had already thought long and hard about it and realized he was ready to make a commitment like that so long as Yami was also.

Yami spent more time with Yugi and his friends over the past few days showing that whatever he had been working on no longer had his attention. It would remain a mystery at what kept him busy until he was ready to reveal it to them all. Thanks to being finished he was able to join the group on their trip to Duke's game shop for the release of his game. He was excited for his friend and although he knew a few things from helping him get it started, he did not know all of what the game was going to be about. It would be interesting to see what Duke had been working on. The only one's not joining them would be Tristan, Bakura, and Seto who all had to work, well Seto chose not to come saying he had his own projects to worry about. At least most of them would be there to support Duke.

It was no surprise that when the group consisting of Tea, Ryou, Yugi, and Yami arrived at Duke's game shop there was already a line pretty much down the block. Everyone looked eager for the doors to open so they could get their hands on a copy of Duke's game. His friends were in no hurry since they were already told by the creator himself that he would hold some copies for them if they wanted to buy them. He wasn't going to push his new game on them if they did not want it.

"Look at that line," Yugi commented a couple minutes later when he noticed more people had lined up behind them sending the line nearly around the block.

"They don't even know what the game is and it's this popular…" Tea added on wondering what in the world her boyfriend had created that had people so wild over it. There were people of all ages it seemed but mostly the children and teen crowd.

"Sometimes the unknown makes it that much more interesting. A little marketing strategy that will help sales..." Yami told them knowing a lot about the gaming market. He should since a lot of it was drilled into his head from Seto when he first launched Capsule Monsters. If it hadn't been for Seto's marketing strategies, his own game might not have done so well.

Yugi looked up and down the line and noticed Joey still wasn't there. He looked at his watch and noticed there was only half an hour before Duke's game shop opened, "Looks like Joey's going to be late…"

"Since it's just the first day they probably don't have many in stock, Joey's lucky Duke's our friend or he wouldn't be getting a copy." Tea said before she turned to Yami, "Did you let him sleep in or something?"

Yami shook his head as he wrapped an around Yugi's shoulders. "I stayed with Yugi last night. I texted Joey before I went to bed to remind him to get up early, but honesty we all know Joey can sleep through a hurricane. He probably slept through his alarm clock."

No sooner had those words left his mouth they heard a shout behind them causing them all to turn and see Joey hurrying up to them. He wore this big grin on his face as he happily got in line beside them and said, "Sorry I'm late."

"The end of the line's that way." Tea said completely serious pointing toward the back of the line. The others knew she was only joking or at least they hoped she was.

"C'mon don't be so mean…"

Yugi was glad Joey made it in time now that they were all here they just had to wait until the doors opened. But he couldn't help turning his eyes to look down the way toward his family's own game shop. He didn't tell his grandfather that he was coming here today. His grandfather could never really deny him any kind of game but Solomon never really liked Duke's game shop. There was some bad blood there and if he knew Yugi was coming to get a game from a rival game shop he wouldn't get mad just give Yugi this disappointing look all day.

"Looks like a ghost town…" Yami told him as he looked down the same way his partner was looking.

"Yeah well as long as Grandpa doesn't know we're here we'll be okay. I honestly don't care if Duke's store is our rival, he's our friend and I'm looking forward to seeing his new game." He looked up at Yami as he added on, "Besides grandpa has taste in old-fashion games. It's no wonder we're losing a lot of the younger clients."

"Old-fashion huh…?"

Yugi and Yami froze in their tracks upon hearing the familiar voice and slowly turned to see none other than Solomon standing behind them with this very stern look on his face. Their friends slowly moved more up in line as he started to chew them out mostly for not telling him the truth about where they were going. Once he said his piece all would be good but for the moment Yugi and Yami were force to listen to the lecture they were being given and in public at that.

* * *

Duke had no idea the turn out would be this great as he looked out the window toward the street below. The line looked like it went on forever and all were waiting to get their hands on a copy of his game. He could even see his friends in line, but was curious as to why Yugi's grandfather looked like he was chewing Yugi and Yami out over something.

Shrugging his shoulders he continued down the hall toward his father's room of their three bedroom apartment. Just like Yugi they lived above their game store and it was only him and his father. His mother left them years ago when Duke was only about a year old and never looked back so it was just them and Duke was fine with that. Unlike his father who for some reason held a grudge against Solomon, Duke felt no ill will toward them no matter what his father tried to tell him. Yugi was his friend and even though that only happened though Yami he had been glad it did. He ended up with a whole group of friends now and even a beautiful girlfriend.

The only problem was he really could never have any of them over til today. He wanted today to be special so he wanted his father to let go of his anger for one day. Knocking softly on the door, Duke let his father know he was coming in before he opened the door. His father had been hovering over by the window probably watching Yugi and his grandfather before his son came in.

"Dad…" He called into the dark room the only light coming from the one window and the door as Duke opened it up. His father quickly reached for something beside him and slipped it on his face.

"It is okay, come in," Mr. Devlin told his son as he turned to face him. Wearing the outfit of a clown and a mask he looked every bit like the mascot the store had on the front of the place. The mask was black with large white lips for the mouth opening and a red nose while one eye had a tear around it the other had a star. There were small sections of hair on either side of the mask to cover the wearer's ears. To most he looked like the mascot but only Duke knew why he wore the get up. It did not use to be like that but once they opened up the the Black Crown game store years back he changed his look to something more convenient.

"Is it time, Duke?"

Duke nodded as he stepped into the room, "We're all set up. All that's left is to open the store. But dad I gotten talk to you for a sec." When his father said nothing to acknowledge him he went on, "As I told you yesterday I invited my friends and that includes Yugi…. Please dad, try not to mess this up for me."

"Mess this up…" Mr. Devlin laughed at those words, "Why would I mess this up when this is the perfect chance for you to get our revenge on Yugi and his grandfather."

Duke sighed, "Dad this is what I'm talking about. I've told you a million times your revenge seeking is not worth all this. Yugi is my friend whether you like it or not. I'm not going to take revenge out on them because I have no reason to…."

He would have said more had it not been for his father slapping him in the face. Mr. Devlin ripped off his mask revealing the face of a man who did not look like he was in his late forties but someone who was old and decaying like he was well over a hundred years old. His face looked sunken in around the jaw and when he opened his mouth to yell at Duke it was easy to see the missing teeth. "Do you see me, Duke?" He shouted at him as he grabbed his son by the shoulders, "Look at my face, you know who did this to my face and it was that brat's grandfather Solomon Mutou …."

"I-I know! You've told me that since I was little…" Duke gave his father a light shove to get him off him. He knew the story and he was sick of hearing it. The fight between Solomon and his father was there fight and no one else's. For some reason his father just could not understand that Duke did not want to get revenge because it never solved anything. He saw things differently and he had friends he did not want to lose. "Please dad just put your mask back on…"

Mr. Devlin placed his mask back on his face after seeing the hurt look on his son's face, "I-I'm sorry Duke, did I scare you?"

Duke shook his head as he turned to leave, "I'm fine, just please don't screw this up for me. I worked really hard and I don't want anything to mess it up. I would love for you to come down but if being around Yugi is too hard just stay up here." He left without hearing anything else from his father. This is how it had been most of his life not being able to be in the same room with his only parent for long. However he wanted his father to be happy for him and come down to see how big a hit Duke's game was going to be. It would really help their store make a name for themselves.

It all depended on if his father could behave himself and if he couldn't then Duke did not want him anywhere near his friends. He hated it but that's how it had to be.

* * *

As soon as it was eleven o'clock on the dot the doors to the Black Crown game store opened to the public and all the eager gaming fans that had been waiting wasted no time in rushing in. Somehow Yugi and Yami made it inside but got separated from their friends and Yugi's grandfather. Yami was able to pull Yugi from the crowd and to the side away from all the craziness. Theirs friends were nowhere in sight but neither wanted to fight the crowd to find them.

"I don't remember it being this crazy when Duel monsters came out," Yugi commented watching as people pushed and shoved each other out of the way to make it to the registers. At some point some security guards showed up forcing some buyers to wait outside until others left to make room in the store.

"Same for when Capsule monsters was released but that could be because both those games were sold in multiple stores." Yami said recalling the days when he first released his game. It had been a big hit but it was sold all over so no one had to travel far to get it and no store was ever this crowded. "I'm sure after today Duke already has plans to sell booster packs all around."

Yugi looked up confused, "Booster packs? So it's not just one game."

"I don't know all that much but I do know Duke talked about booster packs that can add on to the game kind of like Duel Monsters. I don't know if he went through with them or not I'm just guessing."

"Then you guess right…."

Yugi and Yami both jumped at the new voice and turned to see Duke standing behind them grinning, "Glad to see you two came. Where are the others?"

Yami pointed behind him at the mess, "In the crowd somewhere, this is really insane."

Duke nodded agreeing with him, "Probably should have hired more security then we did. I think all of Domino might be here." He looked to the two standing in front of him, "Well you don't have to worry about fighting the crowd. I got your gift upstairs," He said to Yugi before he looked to Yami and smirked, "However if you want your copy you'll have to go to the register."

Yami rolled his eyes at his friend and said, "Yeah I think I'll wait until this mess is over."

"Ah suit yourself it will still be there when you're ready to get it." Duke said as he turned to leave. "I got some things to do but wait around a bit and I'll bring Yugi's gift down. I'm sure he wouldn't mind one early present."

Yugi nodded excited to get his hands on a new game, "We'll catch up with you later."

Once Duke was out of sight the two went back to looking through the crowd to see if they could spot their friends. At some point the spot they were standing in started to get crowded with more people so they moved farther in the store to get out of the way. As they were walking back Yugi ran into someone nearing falling backwards on his butt but Yami was there to catch him.

"Oh sorry…" Yugi went to apologize and then develop a look of shock when he saw the person was dressed as some clown. He was a little creeped out by it.

The clown waved it off not saying a word and then moved on. Yami thought that was completely strange but at the same time felt like he should know that person. "Guess he's here for the kids."

"Still creepy…." Yugi said with a shiver as he linked one of his hands with Yami to keep them together. It felt like the horde was never ending.

They weren't standing long where they were when not a few minutes' later two security guards walked up on either side of them. "Excuse me sir…?" One of them said addressing Yugi and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Will you come with us to the office..?" His tone of voice life no room for argument meaning he wasn't really asking.

"Huh? Why?" Yugi questioned right back before he felt two hands come up under his arms and pick him up as if he was a child. "W-What… H-hey put me down!"

"W-what the hell…!" Yami shouted at the same time as his arms were pulled behind his back. His hold he had on Yugi was broken with ease as the security guard none too kindly restrain him. The two weren't being very quiet about being dragged away farther into the game store but their cries were unheard over the noise.

* * *

"What?! You think I was shoplifting?" Yugi shouted as he was forced into a chair by the security guard who carried him in there. Another one had been waiting in the room which judging by the monitors it was the security room for the store. The one who had been waiting for them explained to Yugi why he was bought in there. And once Yugi heard why he was completely shocked.

"Yes… Just to be sure, we want to search you." The guard informed him as he nodded to his partner.

The one behind Yugi forced the young adult out of his white vest that he had put over his black shirt that day. It was the only thing with pockets big enough to hide anything, not that Yugi would ever stoop to something so low and that's what he told them. "No way! I'd never steal that's impossible." He really wished Yami was here with him. What made things even more scary is that he had no clue where they took his boyfriend either.

The guard in front of them came up to Yugi and easily pulled the millennium puzzle from around his neck much to Yugi's protest. "We'll hold on to this pendant for now."

"Hey give it back that's important to me!" Yugi shouted. They had no right to take his puzzle even if they were accusing him of being a thief. The puzzle was rightfully his!

The guard just laughed and said, "You can have it back when you're proven innocent."

"Hey I found something," The one behind Yugi spoke up pulling to Yugi's shock and dismay D.D.M packs from Yugi's vest pocket.

' _That can't be!'_ Yugi thought having no idea at all how those got in there and why in the world he didn't even notice they were there. If anything he should have felt if someone put them in his pocket and there was no way in hell Yami would do that to him.

"This is a serious problem sir…" Yugi's eyes turned to the doorway as a new figure stepped in and his eyes widen when he saw it was the clown from before. The guard who spoke handed the puzzle over to the clown as if it belonged to him.

"It appears that under that innocent mask is the face of a thief." The clown spoke holding the puzzle tightly in his grip.

"I didn't steal anything!" Yugi shouted in anger hating that no one believed him and if a guard wasn't holding him down to his seat he probably would go over there to try and take his puzzle back. He wasn't one for violence but that puzzle belonged to him and no one else. It was very special to him. "Give me back my puzzle!" It was the only thing he cared about at the moment.

"Little boys who won't say 'sorry' need a physical lesson. Take him away!" The clown ordered and the guard followed those orders as they dragged Yugi out of the room all while he was shouting for them to let him go.

* * *

"Darn it what the hell is going on!" Yami shouted in anger as he tried pulling on the handcuffs again. After being dragged off and separate from Yugi, the guard took him to this room which was empty except for a table and chair. It was the strangest room he had ever seen and made him wonder what the hell Duke was doing with a room like this.

Thinking of his friend, he swore that if this was some prank he was going to kill Duke for putting him through this. The getting dragged somewhere was not so bad, but having one of his hands handcuffed to the chair he was sitting on was going over the top. And to make things even more worst was that the chair was super glued to the floor or something because Yami couldn't even drag it to the door to try and escape. Although he was probably sure they locked the door if he somehow managed to break free.

Yami pulled some more to see if the handcuff was maybe cheaply made and would break, but about the only thing he was doing was killing his hand trying to pull free. After giving it one final tug, Yami dropped his head on the table with a sigh. If nothing else he was worried about his partner more than himself. Yugi had looked so scared being dragged off like that.

"And the day started out so well…" Yami stated to himself.

"And it's only going to get better," Someone else said causing Yami to shoot up and watch as the clown he had seen before walk into the room. He hadn't even heard the door open, but he did not fail to notice what was in his hands and that gave Yami a new reason to fight.

"What have you done to Yugi? Why do you have his millennium puzzle?" Yami shouted struggling to pull his hand free. "I swear if you hurt him in any way you won't be leaving this room alive."

The clown just chuckled as he held the puzzle up by its chain, "For now that little boy is fine. As for the puzzle it's found itself a new owner that is more deserving."

Before Yami could even question about the non-sense this clown was spouting someone new entered the room. This was thankfully a friendly face in the form of Duke who as soon as he walked into the room took it the situation with a look of confusion.

"Uh dad, what the hell is going on?" Duke asked wondering why he was called down there and why in the world Yami was handcuffed to a chair. He had been busy on the floor and also searching for Yugi to give him his gift. A security guard then approached him at that point and said his dad needed him for some urgent business. "What's so urgent that it couldn't wait?"

"It's time to get our revenge!" Mr. Devlin informed his son and although they couldn't see it under the mask, Yami was sure he was smirking. "Now is finally the time for us to take back what should have been rightfully ours."

Yami looked between the two slowly processing the clown's words and recalling Duke calling him dad, "Wait a minute this is your father?" He asked pulling attention back to him. He had never meet Duke's dad personally seeing as Yami never really came over to his house. They mostly went other places or to Yami's house. He remember Duke saying there was some kind of accident and his father was ashamed to be seen in public so he let it go since it seemed too painful for Duke to talk about.

"Yeah, sorry about this man," Duke nodded with a sigh before he turned to his father and said, "Father I told you I didn't want to get revenge. Yugi is my friend and besides that's not even Yugi. That's Yami his boyfriend and my best friend."

"Of course I know that's not Yugi, Yami here is just a pawn in this game to make sure all the players act as I want them to," Mr. Devlin chuckled evilly as he finally allowed his son to see the puzzle in his hands, "Yugi has already been collected and is waiting for the game to start."

"Game? What game are you talking about?" Duke was seriously starting to worry his father had gone off the deep end. It might have not been such a good idea to invite his friends to the release. "Dad what have you done with Yugi?"

"Nothing serious, but I'm not sure how he will be after the crushing blow you give him after you defeat him."

Yami growled as he slammed his still free hand on the table. "Enough of this non-sense! Give me back Yugi and the puzzle!"

Mr. Devlin waved him off, "You'll get Yugi back, but only after Duke defeats him and wins the puzzle."

Duke turned to Yami already apologizing, "Listen I'm seriously sorry about this. Believe me I had no idea that he planned this," He went help his friend out, but his father stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," He announced pulling a small square object from his pocket with a red button in the middle for them to see, "One more step and Yami here is going to get the shock of his life. I planted a small device under his seat which will give off a rather large electric charge when this button is pressed. I highly doubt you wish to see your little friend die here today do you son." That last part wasn't really a question when they all knew Duke did not want to see any of his friends die.

Yami froze quickly stopping his struggles not knowing if the man was buffing or not. There was no way in hell he wanted to even know if there really was such a device under his chair. Things just went from bad to worst in a matter of seconds.

Mr. Devlin faced his son as he stated very clearly. "You will play the game you created against Yugi and you will win like I know you will. That is unless you wish to be the cause of Yami's rather painful death."

Duke stood there tore multiple ways trying to figure out the best way to solve this without anyone getting hurt. He had no idea his father had been planning all this behind his back and if he had he would have stopped him. There was no way to tell if his father was telling the truth or not and Duke honestly could not tell from the button in his father's hand if he was real or not. And he wasn't even going to try going toward Yami again encase it was true. God he would never be able to live it down if Yami died. Then there was the problem of having to face Yugi which he only wanted to do if it was over a friendly game on their own terms. His game had only come out and Yugi did not even know the rules. How in the hell did his father mean for them to play when only one of them….

"That's why it will be easy because Yugi doesn't know the rules." Duke said out loud more to himself. It should have been obvious why his father acted like he did not mind his friends coming over for the release of his new game that no one knew about or how the game worked. "You want Yugi and me to play D.D.M."

"But of course glad to see you are catching on so easily."

"But father I don't care about the millennium puzzle or getting any kind of revenge. Your fight is with Solomon, why can't you just leave me out of it!"

"Because you are better than both of them! Yugi is nothing compared to you!"

Yami watched father and son have at it arguing over what was right and what wasn't. He never fully understood what happened between Duke's father and Solomon, but it appeared Mr. Devlin believe his son and Yugi should finish what ever happened in the past. It wasn't right and he hated seeing Duke so torn. As far as he could see there was only one way to end this…

"He would still beat him," He spoke up loud enough to get both of their attention. Yami smirked as he looked at Duke, "Sorry man but whether Yugi knows the rules or not. He is and will forever be the King of Games." He looked to Mr. Devlin, "Yugi will defeat your son and prove to you that he is the true owner of the millennium puzzle."

"Yami…"

Yami shook his head cutting Duke off from saying anything, "We both know that the only way to end this is for you and Yugi to play the game." He tried to give his friend the best smile he could despite the situation. "I know both you and Yugi will give it your all."

Duke almost could not believe what he was hearing come out of Yami's mouth. He was slightly hurt to know that Yami believed Yugi would win, but then again his last words told a different story. Yami would always put Yugi first before anyone else but in his own way he was wishing Duke luck because they were friends. This was not the way he wanted to introduce the game to his friends, but what better way for him to truly test it out then playing against the King of Games.

"But remember Duke if you hurt Yugi in any other way besides defeating him in the game, I'll have your head." Yami promised. He wanted Duke to play the game on his own terms and not because of his father. Duke had never been interested in the millennium puzzle, but it would be interesting to see the two playing a game of Duke's own invention.

Duke hopefully seemed to be getting Yami's hidden messages as he turned to his father and said, "Fine Yugi and I will play the game. However rather I win or lose the puzzle will still belong to Yugi."

Mr. Devlin held up the remote reminding his son about his threat from earlier, "We will see about that."

Now knowing all that was going on, Duke knew where his father would have put Yugi in order for them to play the game. So without another word he turn and left the room hoping that after all this, his friends would forgive him for his father's mistakes.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Well there you have it… I spent some long hours trying to figure out the best way to go about this and I hope it turned out okay. I was going to add a little bit more but decided to hold off anything else until next chapter. The start of Duke and Yugi's D.D.M. battle starts next chapter! Not sure yet how many chapters it will be but I promise it won't drag on forever.

 **Yumi: Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** It's Monday again and one of my least favorite days but at least I have this story to look forward to updating. So far so good on getting these updates out and thanks to all that have been reviewing. Not many reviews, but at least I'm getting some rather than none at all. There may be some mixed feelings within this chapter, but hopefully everyone still enjoys.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Path to Darkness**

Yugi had no earthly idea what the hell was going on when the officer took him to some other room and shoved him inside. The door was shut behind him as he picked himself up off the floor of the pitch black room. Thankfully it was not dark for long as a light turned on behind him causing him to turn around. There to his surprise was Duke sitting at some table that could pass for a large air hockey table.

"Duke, what's going on? Where are we?" He questioned as he carefully approached the table. His friend had this look in his eyes liked he did not want to be there, but his body language said a different story.

"Sit down, Yugi. We're going to play a game." Duke told him motioning to the chair across from him to which Yugi slowly sat down. "It's time you and I play to find out who the real King of Games is."

Yugi was confused since this was very unlike Duke, "Duke I want an explanation. What's going on? Your security took both my puzzle and Yami away from me. If this is some kind of joke I'm not laughing."

"This is no joke we are going to play the game of my own creation to find out which one of us deserves the title of King of Games."

"I don't care about that, where is Yami and my puzzle?"

Duke could see the worry was clouding Yugi's judgement and he would be in no shape to play. He was going to just try and play it off as a fight for the title, but it just wasn't working out. Looking at his friend he realized he would have to tell him the truth in order for Yugi to want to play him. "Listen I wanted no part of this, but this fight is something my father and your grandfather started years ago. And now my father wants me to finish it so that I can take claim to your millennium puzzle."

"Duke, how does your father know about the millennium puzzle?" Yugi found himself asking knowing that not many people know about it. It was really no secret that Yugi had it since he wore it around but it had him wondering why Duke's father would want his son to claim it.

"It was before we were born…." Duke started to retell the story he had heard a thousand times as a child, "Back then there was this guy who was a legendary master of games. My father aspired to be like him. He asked to be his apprentice and it was one day my father's master told him about the millennium puzzle. It was a legend passed down from ancient times. If anyone could beat the master it would be the one who solved the puzzle. So my father challenged his master over the millennium puzzle…"

"Wait so my grandfather was his master…" Yugi said in a state of shock finally starting to put the pieces of this story together. The only other owner of the millennium puzzle had been his grandfather who found it in a tomb of the nameless pharaoh. Solomon had never been able to solve it which was why he gave it to Yugi who was able to solve it after years of hard work.

Duke nodded glad that Yugi was catching on. "They had played the Devil's board game which no sane man should ever play. My father lost the game against your grandfather and as the price of losing that game. My father became a hideous shadow of his former self…"

A glare set on Yugi's face as he said, "So what now after all these years you plan on fighting me for the rights of the millennium puzzle."

"No, as I stated earlier this game we will only be fighting for your title." Duke informed him trying to help his friend understand that he wanted no part of his father's revenge. "It's my father's twisted idea that I should be the one to have the millennium puzzle which is why he took both it and Yami away from you. The only reason I've agreed to play this game against you is to keep Yami safe. He is both someone special to us more so you now then me but still he is my friend."

"Where is he?"

"With my father who I'm sure is watching all that is going on in this room. If we are to keep him safe we must play the game to see who truly is the King of Games and owner of the millennium puzzle." Duke looked Yugi straight in the eyes as he said, "But mark my words whether you win or lose the puzzle and Yami will be returned to you."

Yugi wasn't sure what to think at this moment but if Duke believed Yami was in danger, he felt like he should believe him. Everything about this situation was not what he would have wanted either when it was all supposed to be fun. He finally nodded his head and said, "What will we be playing?"

"D.D.M of course which is short for Dungeon dice monsters," Duke reached down beside him and pulled up a briefcase. He turned and opened it for Yugi to see there were hundreds of dice inside of all different colors. "These are the dice we'll use to play. Each player will choose a 'dice pool' of twelve dice. There are over five hundred dice variations each with different levels and abilities. You will choose the dice that suit your strategy. I've already chosen my own pool and I will allow you to choose the dice you want…" He easily slid the case down to Yugi across the board.

Yugi caught the case and started to look through all the different dices. ' _There are all kinds of weird colors and symbols…_ ' He was having a hard time figuring out the best ones to pick when he did not know much about the game to begin with.

"The color of the dice indicates the type of creature. The only exception is the black dice. They contain special abilities and magical powers…." Duke explained although he wasn't going to tell his friend much wanting to really test his skills as the King of Games but also he remembered Yami's words and was curious to see if they were true. Without knowing much could Yugi really defeat him at his own game?

It took Yugi a couple minutes to figure out which one he wanted but once he did he took them from the case. "Now what..?"

Duke motioned to the board in front of them, "The stage for our game is the 'Dark Field', a land of perpetual darkness deep underground." He pressed a button and two little trap doors appeared on either side in front of them, "The game is ready now, place all your dices in the shooter."

Following Duke's example Yugi push all his dice into the hole which then closed back up. After a few seconds three of his dice reappeared at random though a slot on his side. He wasn't sure what to do next so he looked up to Duke for the next step.

"The table will automatically dispense your dice pool. It should be shuffled fairly. The dice sequence is an important factor in the game." Duke told him as he grabbed the three dice that appeared on his side, "Now take those three dice…"

Once they both had dice in hand something new happened on the board. Out of new trap doors two figures appeared on either side of their field, a strange magician looking figure for Yugi, while Duke had a clown that looked like the figure head for the shop. On the chest of these figures were three hearts lit up in red. "These figures represent the player's life. I call them dungeon masters. The dungeon master has three life points so in other words you lose if you take three hits. Are you ready Yugi?"

Yugi was sure hoping he was ready as he nodded to his friend. It was with that the game started as Duke made his move first. He watched as Duke rolled the dices and once they stopped two of the dice had stars on them while the other had two swords crossing.

Duke looked happy as he picked up one of the dice, "When two out of three dice show the same crest I can active that power. In other words I get to summon one of my creatures. I'll place one of the dice on the field and I'll choose this red dragon die." As soon as he placed it on the field Yugi watched in surprise as the dice started to unfold into a cross shape path on the field and within that dice a dragon appeared.

' _The dice all have creatures inside of them…'_ Yugi thought wondering how in the world Duke came up with a game like this. This was almost like Duel monsters but he was sure there was much more to it than simply summoning creatures. He also took note of the path the dice had created.

"Do you understand Yugi? In D.D.M the players use their dice to build a dungeon. Then you invade that dungeon with your monsters and attack the enemy dungeon master!" Duke added kind of glad that he was leaving Yugi speechless on his first move. He had waited months to impress his friends with the game of his own design. Despite the stakes in place he hoped this game turned out fun for Yugi. No matter the winner, Duke would make sure Yugi and Yami left his game shop safe.

' _I see…'_ Yugi was slowly putting the pieces together as he surveyed the field. ' _Every time you summon a creature, you also expand the dungeon so every die you play effects the game in more ways than one.'_

"It's your turn Yugi…"

Yugi gripped the three dice in his hands. Duke promised he would return both his puzzle and Yami once the game was over but that did not stop the worry he had. Being forced to play this game did not sit well with Yugi however he would try to play his best despite being new to the game. The young adult rolled the dice watching them rolled a bit before they stopped showing three different symbols, one arrow, one pentagram, and two swords crossing. "The crests are all different…" Yugi took note there wasn't anything he could do.

"Too bad Yugi, summon failed. The dice you chose were high level meaning they're difficult to summon." Duke explained letting Yugi learn just a bit more about the dice he had. "There are six different crests, summon, movement, magic, attack, defense, and trap. You can see them on the dice and then there are levels. For example my monster on the field wizard dragon is level two. Level is a measure of power. But what do the levels have to do with the crests I know you're wondering. It's determined by the number of crests on the creature dice." He held up one of the dice he did not use last turn showing the multiple summon crests on it, "On wizard dragon there are three summon crests. In other words the chances of summoning him are one in two. He is easy to summon but is a low level. Take a look at your dice."

Yugi picked up his dice and took a look at all three only to notice his flaw in picking the dice, "All of them only have one summon crests."

"That's right the less summon crests there are the lower the chances of summoning. You take a greater risk to summon a tougher monster. The outcome of this game will be decided by how many creatures you can bring to the field. If you only choose high level dice, you'll have no chance of winning." Duke told him noticing the look on frustration on Yugi's face and quickly added, "Unless you've got great luck."

Luck certainly did not feel like it was on Yugi's side as he mentally beat himself up over not figuring out all the rules before picking the dice. He could already tell Duke was testing him by only telling him things after they happened. It was like slapping Yugi in the face with his own mistakes. He was pretty sure he had some low level dice in his dice pool but there was no telling when those would come out.

"Yugi, you failed your summon so you can't play any dice on the board. It's my turn now." Duke reached to grab one new die so he had three in his hands. He tossed his dice upon the board and once they stopped was happy with the results as he had gotten two summon crest. Picking up one of the dice he placed it on the board just above his other monster. This new path connected with the other one and was slowly building toward Yugi's dungeon master. However Duke's turn did not end there as he said, "Plus I got a movement crest so I will move one of my creatures one space."

Yugi was not going to let this stress him out even though he was still stuck with the same three dice until he summon a creature or used them in some other way. At the end of Duke's turn he tossed his own dice down and once again to his horror he had not gotten anything he could use. That was two turns with no monsters on his side and it would not due well if Duke got a third monster. ' _I'll lose if this keeps up!'_

* * *

Unknowing to both Yugi and Duke they were being watched by Mr. Devlin through one of the clown masks on the wall. ' _That's it Duke, let him know that the grandson of Solomon is no match for you! It's all part of my revenge…'_

Yami frowned from his spot at the table as Mr. Devlin chuckled evilly to himself over something only he could see. It was no doubt the game between Duke and Yugi since as soon as Duke left them he had gone over to the wall which Yami had only then noticed had a random hole in the wall. The guy stuck his head into the wall and had not moved since then. This left Yami sitting there on his butt for who knows how long with nothing to do but stare at the wall until this thing was over.

The opening of the door caught Yami's attention as one of the security guards walked in. "Mr. Clown…" He called causing Mr. Devlin to remove his head and face the guard. "Yugi's friends are looking for him…"

"Tell them something and get rid of them!" Mr. Devlin told him not at all interested.

Yami smirked glad to know their friends were worried about them. If only he had not gotten his phone taken away he could have let them know where they were. He just hoped they did not believe any lame story this officer told them. If he could get out of here a hell of a lot faster that would be great.

* * *

"Like I told you before sir, I haven't seen the people you're talking about." The same officer explained to Joey once he returned to the main part of the store.

"You're lying!" Joey shouted at him, "We know they came in here!"

"And they never came out!" Tea added on standing behind Joey with Ryou and Solomon. They had all been worried when they finally found each other again only to realize that Yugi and Yami were nowhere to be seen. It was always easy to find them in a crowd because of their unique hair but they were pretty much nowhere to be found. They wouldn't just leave them like that without letting them know, plus she hadn't been able to get a hold of her own boyfriend to see where he was and if he had seen them. She knew Duke had a gift for Yugi.

"As you can see we're very crowded. They probably got tired of waiting in line, gave up on the game and went home."

Joey was starting to get frustrated with this guy, "Listen my bud would go without food for a day before he would give up on a game!" This was not like Yugi and Yami at all to just disappear. He just hoped where ever they were they were together since he knew Yami would not let anything happen to Yugi.

Knowing the situation could get worst if Joey started throwing punches, Solomon spoke up "Joey there's nothing we can do. Let's wait at my house, maybe they'll show up after all." They were not getting anywhere with the security guard and both Yugi and Yami were grown adults they could take care of themselves. Although that still did not stop the worry he had over them just disappearing.

Once they were outside of the stuffy game store, Joey tried his phone again to see if there were any new calls or messages. "Something's fishy! Why would they leave without telling us?"

Tea shrugged as she checked her own phone only to see no new messages or calls also. "There's no telling with those two but we'll just take Mr. Mutou up on his offer and wait. I'm sure they'll show up before long." That is at least she hoped they would.

* * *

Yugi cursed his luck as he watched Duke summon another monster giving him three while Yugi still had yet to summon one. Duke had almost connected a path straight to his dungeon master which was unprotected. If only he had learned the rules before agreeing to this game he may have stood a chance. This game was a lot harder than it looked and without any clue or strategy he had been doomed from the start.

' _I'll lose if I can't summon a creature soon…'_ Yugi thought as he looked at the field. It was his turn and if he did not get anything on his turn the game was pretty much over. Taking the dice in hand he tossed them onto the board only to end up with nothing useful once again. He clenched his fist in anger. He didn't care about his title or anything else he was just so worried about Yami. Duke could make promises and Yugi would believe in him, but what about Duke's father. According to Duke he was obsessed over the puzzle and if Yugi were to lose there was no telling what would happen.

"I know this isn't the extent of your gaming skills…." Duke commented causing Yugi to look up at him. "As you've always told me the game isn't over until the last move is made." He didn't like the looks Yugi had on his face and in a way it had not be fair to start a game without Yugi knowing the rules, but he was going to test him. Grabbing his own dice he took his turn, ending with another summon. He took one of the dice in hand and placed it on the field right in front of Yugi's master. The path opened up just right linking the two sides and giving Duke's monsters a straight path to attack Yugi's life points.

With the summoning of the two headed griffon, Yugi saw that Duke was one square away from being able to attack him. He was just glad that Duke did not have any movement crests on that turn so that gave Yugi one more chance to get a monster on the field. Gripping the three dice in his hands he put all the faith he had within them hoping to turn the game around in his favor. Duke had been right the game was not over until the last move was made and one of them had no life points.

Letting the dice go from his hand Yugi watched them hit the board and roll around before finally stopping. A look of shock covered both their faces as finally after so many turns Yugi would be able to summon a creature. With a smile on his face now Yugi grabbed one of the dice and placed it on the board beside Duke's creature. The two paths connected as Yugi unleashed a level four little wizard on his side of the field to protect him. However that wasn't the end of Yugi's turn.

"My wizard attacks your griffon with lightning rod!" The wizard easily took down the griffon taking over the spot it once stood. It had been awesome luck on Yugi's part to have also rolled a magic crest with his summon so that his wizard could attack the griffon on the same turn. It left Yugi was a defense turning this game around just enough to give Yugi a fighting chance.

Duke was partly impressed that Yugi was able to pull that off as he said, "Good job… but this game is far from over Yugi. My dice dungeon has reached your territory and I have more creatures than you."

Yugi looked just a little more confident as he replied, "Your right Duke the game has only just begun." Until he had no more monsters on the field he was going to fight and not give up hope so easily. He would live up to his title and show Duke who the King of Games really was.

Duke grabbed his dice in his hand and rolled collecting yet another summon to bring forth another creature. As he placed it on the field beside one of his other creatures that put him back up to four monsters. "My bomb lizard isn't that strong but it has a special power. When I collect two trap crests it can bomb and destroy any one enemy." He filled Yugi in giving him a heads up of what he was against. Sure Yugi's wizard was strong but it was also the only monster on the field. He was interested to see if Yugi would walk his way out of this one.

' _This is bad… I have to bolster my defense… There are monsters coming from all sides.'_ Yugi collected his new dices and took a second to look them over. One of the new die had three stars on it meaning Yugi had a higher chance of getting a monster to help him out. This wasn't the same as duel monsters, but as his grandfather taught him he put his heart in the dices much like he would his cards and took his turn.

The roll ended with Yugi getting two summon crests letting him summon another creature to his side. This one was placed beside Yugi's dungeon master to protect his points from the enemies ahead. This left him with both a level four wizard and crocosaurus on his side keeping him safe for now. It did not matter that he could not attack that turn so long as he had a few monsters on the field.

' _Indeed, crocosaurus has a high attack and defense…'_ Duke thought as he grabbed his new dice, ' _But depending on what crests you use you can perform all sorts of combo attacks in this game.'_ He rolled his dice on his turn and it gave him one summon and two trap crests which is just what he needed.

Yugi immediately knew what was going to happen as soon as he saw those trap crests. It was scary how when they both needed something the dice seem to work for them. More so with Duke than for Yugi as far as the game was going.

"With two trap crests bomb lizard can use his special power: bomb throw." Duke announced allowing his lizard to take out the crocosaurus that Yugi had only just summoned. It left Yugi back at one monster unless on his next turn he could summon another one to replace him. "Sorry to have to kill him just after he appeared."

Yugi grabbed his new dices trying not to let that move affect him as he took his turn. However it did not work out like he wanted as his dice left him without a summon making it Duke's turn once again.

"Let me show you how it's done!" Duke rolled on his turn producing yet another monster to summon. He placed it on the field giving him five monsters against Yugi's one.

The odds no longer looked bad they looked terrible as Yugi looked out over the board. At this point it really did look hopeless and that he was finished for good with just his one monster. There was no way to know if he would summon another monster that could help him out of this jam he was in. His little wizard was strong but only if he had the right crests to have him attack. Closing his eyes his thoughts started reminding him of one other battle that had been tough because he was up against the creator, ' _Duke designed this game… He's as good at it as Pegasus was at duel monsters… I never had a chance…'_ At least at Duel monsters he had known the rules and looking back he almost wondered if it had been complete luck that he beat Pegasus in the first place.

Duke could see it in Yugi's face and his body language. There was only so much someone could be pushed before they gave in and that's not what Duke wanted to happen, "Don't disappoint me Yugi!" He shouted getting the shorter adult's attention, "I know you're better than this! You've defeated countless enemies and that's the gamer I want to face right here and now."

Those words seem to stir something inside of Yugi as he cursed himself for even thinking of just giving in. If the others could see him there's no telling what they would say. He had defeated many enemies and no matter if Duke was a friend he would defeat him too. "Alright Duke I'll be the first one to beat you at your own game!" He rolled the dice with a new determination to be the gamer everyone knew he was.

That move seem to mirror Yugi's new mind set as he was able to get two summon crests. He looked the two dice over carefully thinking ahead with his move before he placed one of the die down on the board. However the dice did not open to reveal the monster inside surprising Duke. "I won't dimension this die yet…" Yugi explained to him letting the die sit there for now until it was needed. It was a gamble he was going to take to hopefully ensure a real turn around in this game.

' _True the rule allows him to wait to activate it on its next turn…'_ Duke thought wondering what Yugi was up to with a move like that. It was either to protect it or something else completely that he wasn't sure of yet. He wasn't going to let that worry him for now as he took his turn rolling two movement crests and an attack crests. "Perfect my frontline monsters move closer!"

The two monsters moved forward now standing in front of Yugi's dungeon master which was left wide open. "In addition I rolled an attack crest and that means I can attack your dungeon master!" Duke said as one of his monsters unleashed an attack taking away one of the hearts on the dungeon master.

That move did not rattle Yugi like Duke would have thought as instead Yugi smirked as he said "Dimension dice!" The creature he had put on the board beforehand unfolded linking a path to Duke's monsters. A level three Iron golem gorogon appeared much to Duke's dismay knowing just what Yugi was planning now from the sight of it. And it was thanks to one trap crest Gorogon rolled up into a ball going down the straight path taking out both of Duke's monsters in one hit.

"I may have lost a life but I took out two of your creatures." Yugi cheered.

Duke was rather impressed with that move. Never until today had Yugi played D.D.M and he was already using advance tactics like a delayed dimension. It quickly changed his view point that just maybe Yami had been right about Yugi all along. Although it still didn't mean Yugi would win the game, but he was a fast learner. "You know Yugi, when I first met you I thought you were just a timid little gamer who Yami had a crush on. I couldn't even picture you being the one to have defeated Pegasus at his own game. However getting to know you and seeing you play today I'm seeing a whole new side of you that I haven't seen before. This is who you really are…"

Out of all their friends Yugi had never been personally close to Duke but to hear those words from Duke felt like maybe after all these years they were becoming closer. He trusted all his friends and despite what was happening he wanted to be able to put this behind them later without it hanging over their heads. "Alright Duke you wanted my best… well here it goes…" He picked up his new dice looking over the board to figure out the best strategy. As long as he had his Gorogon where it was any enemy that crossed that path would be dealt with. However he couldn't win the game by defending. He was going to have to find a way to get to Duke's dungeon master.

With dice in hand he took his turn rolling them and hoping for a good summon so he could go on the offense. It was like the dice were feeding off his energy as he ended up with another summon letting him bring forth a level three Duker of twin swords. There wasn't much he could do at the moment so he chose to hold back for now. "I'm not ready to mount an attack yet. I'll save my attack crests for later in my crest pool."

"Fine… Once it's stored in your crest pool it can be used at any time." Duke reminded him. He took his own turn rolling the dice and ending up with another summon as well. He summoned flame armor dragon level three right in front of Yugi's warrior connecting their paths. "Perhaps I'll use some attack crests from my crest pool and have flame dragon attack on this turn."

"Go ahead and try, my creature won't just curl up and die." Yugi told him not afraid anymore. He had some moves saved up as well.

Now this was getting into a real fight as Duke used two movement crests and an attack crest to launch his attack on Yugi's warrior. As the dragon bought his sword down on the warrior Yugi countered by using two attack crests of his own to defend his monster and then attack killing the dragon.

The move left Yugi feeling great that his monster had stood a chance in that fight, but Duke did not seem at all upset over the loss. He only chuckled and said, "Nice job destroying flame dragon but I knew how many crests you have saved up and I knew my creature would lose. This game isn't decided just by monster battles. Why don't you take a look at the board…?"

At first Yugi was confused but looked anyway and that was only when he noticed what Duke was trying to point out. ' _When I played the dice on the field to summon the creature I had to place it so it connected to one of my own dungeon dice corridors. But Duke's dungeon dice are cutting off my path. There's hardly any room left for me to play my dice.'_

"You see Yugi… You only have room to summon a few more creatures and that's if you're lucky. When you split open the cube of a six-sided die fits inside a three by four grid. When you call dimension dice your die can open up in one of thirty possible ways. One of the winning strategies in this game is to place your dice on the board like a puzzle in the most advantageous ways." Duke informed him having thought of many ways to make this game both complicated and not an easy win. It kept the player thinking throughout the whole game on the best way to go about it from placing their monsters to defending their dungeon master, and how to go about attacking their opponent. "If you do it right your creatures get a clear path to the enemy and the enemy doesn't have room to summon creatures to fight back. But you can still win Yugi if you can reach my dungeon master and defeat all the creatures in your way."

This is where Yugi really hated himself for not trying to get creatures on the board sooner. He could summon a few more monsters but only if they could connect to his dungeon paths and fit in the spaces. Every time he felt like he was winning, Duke reveals something that pushes him back.

Duke pulled a new die from the dice pool and was glad to see what die he now held. He put it up for Yugi to see as he said, "Look at this new die. This is what's known as a rare black. It is a rare die equipped with a special ability even by the standards of the black dice. This red star is a sign of its power." He pointed out the red star on the side of it, "And on my next turn I see I'll draw another rare black. When two rare blacks come together a deadly combo will begin. So get ready for it Yugi."

Just as he was finished filling Yugi in on what the die was about he rolled and once again to his luck he was able to get a summon with the black die. Taking that one up he put it on the board and bought forth a new creature but he did so on his side of the board away from Yugi's side for now. That move kept Yugi wondering what he was planning as Duke had plenty of places he could have put it but he picked right near his own dungeon master.

Once the level two creature was revealed Yugi also noticed something else on the path that he had not seen yet. As always Duke did not leave Yugi in the dark for long as he explained the strange black hole on the path, "That is a warp crest. Each rare black die has a special crest hidden on the inside. This crest will come into play when two rare blacks are played on the field. One will become an entrance and the other an exit and I'll be able to warp in an instant."

' _I get it! When two warp crests are on the board, his creatures can teleport between them.'_ Yugi thought as he looked over the board trying to think steps ahead in order to protect himself before Duke had a chance to summon another warp crest. ' _There's still one place left in my territory where I can play the dimension dice.'_

The same corner Yugi was focusing on was also the same corner Duke had his eye on since some of his dungeon paths were there. ' _I left that one corner open so I can place my rare black there and teleport my army in an instant. If this rare black combo works my victory is assured.'_

"Duke there's one thing you overlooked…." This cause Duke to focus back on Yugi and his eyes widen at what he saw. Not only did he have black dices in his dice pool, Yugi now held one in his hands. "I have one too…"

If temporary left Duke speechless as Yugi took his turn getting an easy summon with the black die much like Duke did and placing it on the board right where Duke wanted to put his second one. Neither got a chance to see the creature inside as it immediately jumped through the warp crest that also appeared. All eyes turned to the warp crest on Duke's side as the creature known as Black Ninja appeared on the other end making quick work of Duke's weak level two monster.

Yugi felt like he had new energy with that win as he stated, "Now I'm in your territory…" This game was getting a whole lot more interesting now.

* * *

 **Sakura:** I really hope it's not this hard to write duels... Well we've made it through another chapter and there's a few more to go through before Yugi and Duke are done. I really didn't want to draw it out too long so I combined chapters from the manga into one chapter here. If I didn't then this would be some short chapters for this story. Probably going to be doing the same throughout the whole battle city series depending on what they look like.

Okay enough of my rambling but I do want to say sorry if Duke seems kind of off. I don't want him to be as mean as in the manga because in my story he and Yugi are friends. It's just they have to deal with Mr. Devlin's weird form of revenge. So I'm having to change a few things and make Duke want to push Yugi to do his best and win, but Duke also wants to win at his own game. He's also testing Yugi to see if Yami's words are true…. Other than that I hope I did a decent job …

 **Yumi: Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** I bet a lot of people thought I forgot to update this week... Nope I just made the choice to change the updates from Mondays to Fridays/Saturdays (depending on which day I can get on the computer) which I should have done for the last three chapters. It makes it a lot easier on me and by the end of the week I have more time to get on the computer. Other than that little piece of information this chapter is where things are going to get a lot more crazy. I hope it turned out alright after the weeks I've had I'm running on low energy.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **The Broken Bond**

The tables had turned for Yugi in this dice monsters game as his black ninja used the warp crest without anyone seeing it and attacked Duke's low level monster. This left Yugi with at least one monster in Duke's territory and Duke with no monsters to defend his dungeon master as the rest were headed toward Yugi's dungeon master.

Duke still could not believe that Yugi had gotten a hold of a rare black die. ' _The rare black dice with warp crests only work when two warp crests are on the field. They act like an entrance and an exit making it possible for creatures to leap across the dungeon instantaneously.'_ At least that had been Duke's plan until Yugi ended up doing it, ' _I was going to play a second warp crest on my next turn but then Yugi played his and completed the warp route!'_

' _Duke's dungeon has me boxed in. There's no place left on my side to play my dice. The only way left for me to win is to warp into his territory and attack.' '_ Yugi thought as he surveyed the field. He had a fighting chance now to get past Duke's monsters to attack the master. ' _It's up to the Black Ninja.'_

Duke could see what Yugi saw on the field and knew he had to be quick if he was going to save his life points, ' _Black Ninja is one of the fastest creatures in the game. It can move three spaces with just one movement crest. On Yugi's next turn, he'll be able to attack my dungeon master.'_ He drew a dice prepared to take his turn, ' _If I don't summon a guard this turn I'll lose…'_

Rolling the dice Duke watched as for once his roll failed him leaving him with a wasted turn. No summon meant he was left unprotected for one full turn.

Yugi on the other hand was ready to go as he rolled his dice. The dice seem to roll in Yugi's favor now as he was given two movement crests to use on the Black Ninja. "Two movement crests means I can take a double move! Run Black Ninja!"

The Black Ninja did run all the way to stand in front of Duke's Dungeon master. He wasted no time in attacking it and bringing Duke to equal life points with Yugi again.

"Not bad at all, this is starting to become a real fight. However I won't let you touch my Dungeon master again," Duke warned Yugi as he rolled his own dice. Finally the dice wanted to work with him as he was given three summon crests and one of them happen to be a black die. "Alright a triple crests!" He looked up and noticed Yugi's confusion so it was one more thing he would have to explain which he did not mind, "On a triple crest, the level of summoned creatures goes up by one."

He took the black die in hand before placing it on the field on his side of the board, "I summon God Orgoth, once a level three creature now a level four." The warrior creature stood tall and proud from the die, he was one of the most powerful creatures now on the board. "In addition by spending three magic crests, I can equip Orgoth with the diamond blade. Lucky for me that I saved up those magic crests in my crest pool."

It was with those that Orgoth got a much bigger blade making him a much larger threat than a couple seconds ago. Black Ninja would not even stand a chance again him and Yugi could see that. He was quickly checking his crest pool to see what he had saved up thinking there may be one way to save him.

Orgoth attacked Black ninja making Duke think he had defeated him, "I got him!" Now his points were safe.

"Are you sure? Take a look at the Dungeon Duke."

"He didn't…" Duke did as Yugi said only to see Black Ninja reappearing where he had once been. ' _It camouflaged itself like a chameleon!'_

"The moment Orgoth attacked I paid three magic crests from my crest pool to activate Black Ninja's special power, invisibility." Yugi explained with a smirk on his face. This game wasn't as hard to figure out as it seemed to be when he first started.

' _That move brought him back from the brink of death. It took quick insight and good judgment to survive that one…'_ Duke was impressed with that move, ' _this is the Yugi I wanted to face since the beginning…'_

"Duke no matter what happens I won't give up!" Yugi declared as he took his turn. With his turn he was able to once again attack Duke's Dungeon master leaving him with only one life left. ' _One more attack and I win!'_

Duke knew what was at stake here but his gamer pride was not going to let Yugi defeat him at his own game. ' _I won't let you do it, no way Yugi!'_

Both of them had still been completely unaware of the eyes that had been watching them until this turn around in the game. A very frustrated father made his presence known by that point as the peep hole he had been looking through opened up into a door way revealing him to them. "Duke I forbid you to lose to Solomon's grandson!"

' _He's got my millennium puzzle!'_ Was Yugi's first thought as he saw his puzzle until he realized it was the same clown from before that still had it, "You're that clown! You framed me and took my puzzle!"

"Dad!" Duke should have known his father would be watching their game.

"It's been twenty years since I played a game with Solomon over this millennium puzzle and now the game has come full circle into the next generation!" Mr. Devlin announced not playing them both any mind.

"Give the millennium puzzle back!" Yugi shouted if Duke did not want it then there was no pointing in keeping it from him.

"Yugi!" The shout caused all eyes to turn to where the source of the voice had come from however no one appeared in the doorway.

"Yami!" Yugi turned angry eyes toward the clown his worry about the puzzle briefly gone, "Where is Yami?"

"That brat is fine," The clown snapped his fingers and the next thing they knew Yami was being shoved into the room, hands handcuffed in front of him. Due to the handcuffs he lost his footing and fell flat on his face.

Yugi wasted no time in getting up out of his chair to be by Yami's side helping him up. "Yami! Are you okay?"

"I've been better," Yami mumbled not believing that had just happened in front of them all. His pride was hurt more than his face. At least he was no longer in that damn chair and could see that Yugi was alright.

"Listen good kid," Mr. Devlin spoke up gaining their attention. "You're not the one who will inherit the power of the millennium puzzle only Duke is worthy."

Duke couldn't even look his friends in the eye with his father around. He was ashamed that any of this was even happening.

Now that Yami was in the room Yugi could stop his worry but that man still had his puzzle, "It doesn't belong to you! Give it back!"

"In your dreams…"

"Dad that's enough!" Duke shouted interrupting his father, "This is our fight now so don't…. just don't get in the way!"

Those words caught Duke's father off guard, "Wh-What are you saying Duke? Don't you know I'm doing this because I love you…" The whole time Duke wouldn't even look at him making him all the more furious, ' _I'll help you… I'll do something that will shatter his will to fight…'_ He thought wanting to break Yugi to help Duke win easier.

No one expected that his next move was to try and break the millennium puzzle. Yugi's eyes widen as he watched him try, ' _He's not gonna… he can't!'_ He went to stand up shouting, "Stop!"

"Take this! My hatred for Solomon!" With one small click a piece of the puzzle started to come out and with it started to come another one.

"Please stop!" Yugi tried again rushing over to stop the stupid clown before he did any more damage.

Duke was left frozen in his seat as he watched the puzzle Yugi had once worn around his neck shatter into multiple pieces and fall to the floor. There was a scream from Yugi as he broken down in tears over what he was witnessing however he wasn't the only one as another scream ripped through the air nearly drowning out Yugi.

Yami collapsed to the floor holding his head as best he could while being handcuffed as the pain racked through his body. He never felt anything like this before as it felt like his mind was splitting into two. This was ten times worst then having his soul taken out of his body.

The clown couldn't stop laughing despite their pain as he said, "Don't worry… my son will put it back together as the new successor of the legend!"

* * *

Walking up to the Black Crown game shop, Bakura found the place deserted but that did not faze him in the least as he walked toward the door. ' _I sense an ill omen around the millennium puzzle… Something bad must have happened to it…'_

"I guess I'll have to do the King's dirty work again…" Bakura commented as he threw open the doors to the shop paying no mind to the closed sign on the doors, ' _The millennium items contain fragments of memories… memories destined to be united one day. I need Yugi Mutou. I need him to wield the puzzle. As long as I still have some use for him… anyone who harms him will have to answer to me.'_

Barking from the two rather large dogs in front of him caused Tristan to look up confused on what has caused such a stir out of them. He thought he saw a familiar figure walk into Duke's game shop "Am I seeing things… or was that Bakura?" However that couldn't be right because Ryou said he worked a late shift. Plus it would make no sense for him to be at Duke's the place unless he was looking for Ryou. Then again that did not make sense either because even he knew that they were all going to meet up at Yugi's place after the thing at Duke's was over. That's where he was headed now after a long day at work.

Kneeling down he calmed Yuki and Shadow down not knowing what caused such strange behavior from the two. They had been fine on the walk up to that point, "Hey guys let's keep it down okay…" He stood back up and smiled at the two now happy dogs. "Come on let's go find your parents." They were both a handful but they were cute dogs which everyone in their group treated them like children. The two had been more than ready to get out of the house making walking them that much easier on Tristan.

Continuing the walk toward the Kame Game shop, Tristan had no clue what was really going on inside the Black Crown Game shop.

Inside the Black Crown game shop, Bakura came face to face with two of the security guards. They seemed a little surprised by Bakura's appearance but tried not to let it get to them.

"Excuse me sir, we're closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow, okay?" One of the guards said with a smug smirk ready to kick Bakura back out if he caused trouble.

Bakura just stood there staring them down with a smirk of his own on his face.

"Hey I know you can hear us!" The other guard shouted.

A chuckle came from Bakura before all hell broke loose as he yelled, "Out of my way, you human scum!"

* * *

Back the room, Yugi in tears had been trying to get to the puzzle before all the pieces fell off until he heard his partner scream. The puzzle came in second place after having already been dismantled as he went back to Yami. He fell to his knees beside Yami carefully touching Yami's shoulders hoping not to hurt him anymore.

"Yami…Yami…What's wrong?" He frantically asked. Trying to be strong as the roller coaster of emotions went through him. The puzzle was destroyed, his partner was hurt for reasons he wasn't sure of yet, and then there was all this mess with revenge. He had just wanted a nice peaceful day with friends hanging out and learning a new game.

After what felt like forever of Yugi calling his name, the pain pulled back enough for Yami to give the simple breathless answer of, "He's…gone…" That's all Yami could say as he tried to calm his breathing. If nothing else he wanted the pain in his head to go away so he could think clearly. He never knew how deep his ties had become to the puzzle after Yugi solved it.

Yugi completely understood what Yami was trying to tell him and that made him all the more angry. Not only did Duke's father hurt Yami but he destroyed Yami's other self in the process causing all this pain.

"You see that? It's in pieces." Mr. Devlin continued to laugh having no clue what he just did knowing only that he was getting back at Yugi, "Now the legend of the millennium puzzle is back to where it began! But don't worry my son Duke will solve the puzzle. He'll become the new King of Games!"

Yugi paid the clown no mind as he lifted Yami's head and looked at him while saying, "I'll fix this…" He kissed him putting all his love in that kiss before he broke away and stood up. The young duelist turned and walked over to the pieces on the floor. He kept thinking over and over in his head how it had taken him years to complete it as he kneeled down on the floor to pick up the pieces of his puzzle. There was no telling how long it would take to put it back together again. And just judging by Yami's reaction the split from his other self had not been pleasant and he couldn't know if that pain would ever go away. Plus it wouldn't be fair to Yami's other self, they knew he was some kind of spirit tied to the puzzle and it just wasn't right to ripe him from some form of life when he had only gotten it back.

"How could you…" As he continued to pick up the pieces his tears turned into tears of anger before he clenched the piece he held and looked up at the mad man in front of him, "How could you break it!?"

The clown only chuckled still holding the remaining solid piece by its chain, "Get this Yugi, if you want the puzzle back you'll have to beat Duke. Too bad for you without the puzzle you won't have a chance." He would have taunted Yugi more until he felt movement beside him.

Duke passed his father up and kneeled down in front of Yugi and started helping him pick up the pieces, "Yugi I'm sorry, I know it was an important puzzle to you…" He looked at his friend letting him know he meant it, before he shocked them all by reaching up behind him snatching the puzzle out of his father's hands, "Don't touch the puzzle anymore dad!"

Yugi watched as Duke handed him all the pieces including the part he took from his father. Duke put a hand on his friend's shoulder and surprised them all by saying, "It was a fair fight but I think our battle ends here for the day."

Mr. Devlin was not happy about that as he watched Duke helped Yugi stand up holding the puzzle that should belong to them close to him. He was not going to let it end here as he pulled something out of his pocket, "Duke, this fight is far from over…"

Duke turned to his father, "Dad this is en-…." His words died when he noticed what his father had in his hands and who it was pointed at. "Dad!"

"You two will return to your game and Duke you will win!" Mr. Devlin shouted at his son as he continued to point the gun he held at Yami who for the life of him couldn't move because of the pain.

Yugi could only watch both scared and unsure what he could do. He was scared if he made a move to protect Yami would only provoke Mr. Devlin more and Yami was in no shape to save himself. Hell Yami looked like he could barely move, but he did have some fight in him to glare up at Mr. Devlin. The pounding headache was no laughing matter but he could still give a look that could kill a man if looks could kill.

"Dad just put the gun down, this has gone too far," Duke calmly tried to talk to his father. Something was seriously wrong with him as he had never seen him like this before. He had some bad days but never like this.

"Finish the game!" The clown shouted waving the gun causing Duke to pull Yugi back.

There was no other choice as far as Duke could see. His father had finally lost it and if they did not do what he said then someone was going to get hurt and at this point it was going to be Yami. "Yugi, lets finish the game…"

"But…" Yugi looked up at Duke and could see how serious he was being then he looked at Yami. His lover winked at him letting him know it was a good idea. If this was the only way they could get out of this without more pain, then Yugi would. He followed Duke's example and went back to his seat, placing the broken puzzle on the table near him away from Mr. Devlin.

At the point they had stopped the game it was Duke's turn and Yugi was one heart away from beating his friend. However Duke did not want to find out what his father would do if he lost so he figured he would play his hardest and as promised let Yugi and Yami leave together with the puzzle even if Yugi lost. No matter his father would not get his hands on the puzzle and he would make sure of that.

On his roll, Duke had Orgoth attack Black Ninja to which Yugi could do nothing thanks to having no more crests to use on that monster. This left Yugi with only three monsters in his own territory. Duke had four monsters with three being near Yugi's side and the strongest monster now protecting Duke's heart point.

"It's not as bad as it looks Yugi. I can't summon any more creatures to the board," Duke pointed out to him, "All the dice but the three in my hand have been 'dimensioned' already."

' _I don't have any way to attack right now… He's going to come into my territory…_ ' Yugi had no other plan than to defend his dungeon master. So he used his turn to move Duker of Twin Swords toward his dungeon master with his other two monsters, thus ending his turn.

Duke rolled the dice he had in his hand getting just what he needed to move Orgoth forward toward the warp crest and allowing him to warp onto Yugi's side, "I'm charging in! I'm taking the warp route right onto your home turf." With Orgoth on Yugi's side now was causing a lot of trouble for Yugi.

The three monsters Yugi had were no match for Duke's Orgoth and now Orgoth was blocking the warp crest stopping Yugi from heading to Duke's side. ' _If I don't do something god Orgoth will rampage through my side of the board.'_ There was not anything else Yugi could do but roll and have his monsters stand their ground. "My army stands guard around my dungeon master."

"A wall of creatures won't stop Orgoth!" Duke informed him as he had Orgoth attack Golem killing it right on the spot.

Yugi quickly rolled on his turn hoping to get something good and ended up with no useful crests. He could only have his little wizard try and attack Orgoth to weaken him. However Duke was thinking ahead of him as he used defense crests to protect Orgoth. The little wizard's attacks reflected off Orgoth's sword leaving him still powerful. On Duke's turn he had Orgoth finish off little wizard leaving Yugi with one creature left to protect him.

"This is the end Yugi, it's impossible to fight back with just one creature," Duke told him wishing things could have been different.

"How do you like that Yugi?" Mr. Devlin laughed, "Now do you realize you're not match for Duke?"

Yugi knew Duke was trying to be nice while Mr. Devlin was taunting him trying to get him to surrender, but he couldn't. The puzzle no longer mattered he just did not want Yami to get hurt.

Another laugh quickly caught their attention as they looked toward the doorway to see another figure standing there, "Too bad Duke. You can't handle the puzzle like your father thinks."

"Who are you!" Mr. Devlin shouted.

"For the last three thousand years only one person has been able to wield the millennium puzzle," The figure said as he moved forward more into the light showing it to be Bakura who had entered the room, "And that person is Yugi!"

"Bakura…." Yugi's eyes widen at the sight of one of theirs friends. He did not think he of all people would show up with no one else. However there was that familiar look in his eyes that Yugi could not quite put.

Bakura chuckled as he walked further into the room and right up to Yugi's side bypassing Yami and the gun all together like it was just a friendly visit. He leaned on the back of Yugi's chair and said, "I can't believe someone of your level would actually think he could use the puzzle…" He was addressing Duke as if he was the one trying to steal it probably because he did not know the full story, "If I were you I wouldn't try it. If you do… you'll die horribly."

It was then Yugi realized why that look in Bakura's eyes was so familiar. It was the same way when they played monster world. But he thought they had taken care of that and Bakura was better, "Bakura, it's not what…" He didn't know what this other Bakura would do in a situation like this and that just made things all the more worse.

"Don't worry Yugi I'm not the same as before. I've turned over a new leaf you know," Bakura had this strange smile on his face as he told Yugi, "Right now, I'm your friend."

Yugi did not believe him one bit but at this point he could not do much with all that was going on. He could only watch as Bakura surveyed the board in front of him, "The odds are a bit against you, but that doesn't mean you've lost yet…" He commented before he looked toward Duke once more, "Duke, listen and listen good… In the next few turns Yugi will turn the tables on you. Take a good look at the power of the millennium puzzle."

' _Bakura…. Are you telling the truth?'_ Yugi thought as he looked back at the board. He wasn't sure what Bakura was seeing but it had to be something for him to say that, ' _Right now whether or not Bakura is lying… the important thing is winning the game. I have one creature left and I don't have anything that can stop that super powerful monster of his. Bakura said I could turn the tables but how? I don't know what to do!'_

Bakura watched as Yugi struggled with making his turn. He knew not of the true power he held and was lacking some serious faith in himself. By no means was Bakura here to cheer Yugi on like some cheerleader, he was only here to insure the puzzle stayed with its true owner for his own purpose. ' _Come on Yugi, you solved the millennium puzzle… you should be able to find the one way out!'_

"If I was in your shoes I don't think even I could turn this around, but let's roll the dice and find out for ourselves." Duke stated slightly curious to see why so many people thought Yugi could defeat him with just that one monster.

' _All I can do is fight till the end!'_ Yugi thought as he rolled the dice ending up with a magic crest and two attack crests. ' _God Orgoth has two thousand attack points. Duker's special attack gets stronger for every attack crest I spend.'_ He checked his crest pool to see how many he had saved up without using the ones he just rolled, ' _Right now my crest pool has a lot of crests save up from previous rolls. If I spend all my attack crests Duker of Twin Swords will have two thousand one hundred and sixty attack points just for one turn. It'll actually be stronger than God Orgoth.'_

At this point this would be Yugi's final gamble in trying to get rid of Orgoth before it took him out. "I spend all my attack crests to multiply Duker's attack by six." Yugi announced before sending his warrior out to attack Orgoth.

The thing is that attack would have been a sure thing if it had not been for a sneaky move pulled off by Duke, "Creature advance!" He sent one of his creatures into the line of fire protecting Orgoth and causing Duker to attack the other monster killing it. "Sorry Yugi but my low level monster gives his life to protect Orgoth from your attack."

Yugi slammed his fist down on the table mad at himself for not seeing something like that happening. He should have thought more steps ahead but there was so much already on his plate. Every time he turned around Duke found a way to one up him and take him back down. He could only watch as on Duke's turn Orgoth killed his warrior leaving him with nothing. ' _M-My creatures are wiped out….I….lose…'_ If it had been different he may have not felt so bad, but one look at Yami out of the corner of his eye and he knew this may not end well.

"Your dungeon still has two life points left. We'll play the game out to the end." Duke informed him not wanting to see Yugi throw in the towel until one of them had no points left. Surrender was never an opinion for gamers like them.

By now Yugi was getting ready to face defeat as he just tossed the dice down and watched them roll. When they stopped he used a movement crest to move his Dungeon master out of the way. Orgoth would be right behind it still ready to attack but he could at least try to save his points.

Orgoth as Yugi knew was moved and sent to attack the Dungeon master on Duke's turn bringing Yugi down to one point. The game would be over on Duke's next turn.

Mr. Devlin continued to laugh at Yugi's weak attempts at trying to stay in the game, "You're dead Yugi, my son wins on his next turn and the puzzle will be ours!"

"No it won't…" Yami growled out keeping his position knowing if he moved Mr. Devlin might shoot. He was still in pain but that was nothing compared to seeing his lover giving up so easily. Turning to look at his partner he reminded him of who he was, "It's not over until the King of Games wins…."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Kame Game Shop, Joey, Tea, Ryou, and Grandpa stepped outside when Tristan came by with Yugi and Yami's dogs. Tristan couldn't help but mention what he thought he saw passing by Duke's place. There was a look of confusion on all their faces when they heard the news.

"That's not right he should still be at work," Ryou pointed out as he pulled out his phone to see if he got any messages. "I mean I told him what we were doing today but he didn't seem interested."

"Maybe he got off early and thought he would drop by. Although Duke's shop should be closed by now," Tea said as she checked her watch and sure enough Duke's shop closed over an hour ago. They were already worried about Yugi and Yami, so she did not want to mention her concern about her boyfriend who had yet to show up either. He said he would meet up with them after his shop closed to show them how his new game worked. They weren't going to do it at his place due to his father. She just didn't want to stress over it too much because Duke could still be working after the day he had with the release of his game.

Shadow and Yuki started to whine and pace causing Tristan to kneel down and pet them to calm them down, "By the way where are Yugi and Yami? I thought they be with you all."

"As a matter of fact, we don't know either," Solomon told him. He knew his grandson was old enough to take care of himself but he and Yami seemed to just disappear on them and it wasn't like them at all. "It's not like those two to just disappear without telling anyone where they are going."

The ringing of a cell phone caught all their attention causing all of them besides Grandpa to check who's it was. Joey was the one as he stepped away from them for a second to answer his phone. They watched as he listened to whoever it was on the other end.

"Ten bucks it's his boyfriend," Tristan figured that or it happened to be Yugi and Yami.

Tea nodded agreeing with him, "I think he tried texting him earlier to see if he had seen Yami."

Sure enough when Joey finally hung up the phone he turned to them with some news, "That was Seto, apparently he hasn't seen Yami or Yugi and neither has Mokuba."

"Then were in the world can they be…." Tea wondered if even Seto hasn't seen them.

"But…" Joey said getting their attention again, "Seto did check Yami's phone location after he got my text. Due to some meeting he couldn't get back to me until now…."

"Wait, he just gave Yami's location up just like that? Did you tell him what was going on?" Tea asked, sometimes the way Seto found out things scared her. It must be tough for Yami to hide much.

Joey shook his head, "I just told him I wanted to talk to him and I couldn't get a hold of him. Play a little of the worry card on him and Seto gave it up like that." He turned and pointed back toward Duke's Game store, "And according to the phone's location he is still at Duke's shop."

They couldn't believe it could be that simple as they all looked toward the other game store. If they were still there why hasn't they contacted them. However they wouldn't find out the truth just standing there. All of them coming to an agreement to check it out, Tristan left the dogs with Solomon who decided to hang back encase Yugi and Yami showed up or called.

* * *

Yugi looked at the dice in his hands and then back at the board. _'I can't…I just can't find a way to turn this around and I don't have a single creature on the board. I'm down to one life….'_

"Yugi…" Yami spoke up again pulling Yugi's attention back on him. "You were the one to solve the puzzle…I know you can win."

' _Puzzle….'_ Yugi looked at the puzzle beside him before something seemed to click as he quickly looked back at the board. There was one spot on the board that one more creature could fit, ' _Maybe…'_ He put all his faith in his dice as he took his turn. There was one chance left to be able to win but that was only if he could summon another creature.

The dice rolled from his hand before they stopped with two summon crests facing both players. ' _Yes I got two summon crests…'_ Yugi picked up one of the die prepared to summon whatever creature it was and hopefully it was something helpful.

Duke could see what spot Yugi was eyeing for a summon, but there was just no way it could work, "You only have one tiny complicated space left on your side of the board. You don't have enough room to summon another monster."

Yugi did not care he was willing to gamble it all on the die as he placed it on the board. ' _The Dungeon squares are like a puzzle and if this die won't solve I will lose…'_ He watched careful as the die began to unfold.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Another chapter done and at least one more before Duke and Yugi are finished. Before long we will be in battle city along with a few other things that will be happening. The next few chapters are going to be a roller coaster of emotions...

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** As always thanks for the reviews! I wanted to touch up on one review I got this week. I understand some people's concerns about this story not making it through to the end. I just want to let everyone know that there may be some weeks where I can't update, but if I can help it I will finish this story. I made myself a goal of hopefully finishing it at the end of this year or possible the beginning of next. Here's to hoping I reach that goal.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Chains**

Despite their being a closed sign in the window, Joey tested the doors and was surprised when they easily opened up for him and his friends. The Black Crown game store should have been locked up for the day yet the front doors were unlocked. That was either really irresponsible or something was not right. None of them could shake the feeling that something was not right. They looked around the empty shop but no one was in sight.

"Tristan, you said Bakura went in here too right?" Joey asked again just to be sure.

Tristan nodded, "Yeah I did see him, but now this place just looks deserted."

"But Duke would never leave the shop unlocked," Tea commented, "I get the feeling something may have happened."

"Hey look somebody's on the ground," Ryou called over to them. He had thought he saw something and went to check it out only to find two security guards on the ground. He prayed this wasn't Bakura's doing.

Tristan and Joey hurried over and went to check on the guards, finding them only to be knocked out and unharmed. Joey looked around making sure there still wasn't any kind of intruder before he stood up. "Let's try upstairs and see if Duke's there."

They were all in agreement as they hurried along trying to find their four missing friends. Two knocked out guards and no one in the shop spelled trouble.

* * *

The dice unfolded perfectly fitting into the small space on the board. Duke was left speechless as Armor Wizard Pazoo emerged from the unfolded die. ' _Talk about luck… he had a die that could fit into such a tiny area…'_ At this point no one was luckier than Yugi.

"Do you see now?" Bakura asked of Duke as he smirked, "Yugi solved the millennium puzzle your little board game is nothing."

Yugi was glad to have gotten one more monster on the field to protect him. ' _My dungeon only has one life left and Pazoo's my only other monster. Will he be able to stop Orgoth?'_ He would lose if his creature wasn't strong enough or had good special abilities.

"Sorry to rain on your parade Yugi…" Duke spoke up deciding to point something out Yugi seemed to have missed, "Good job summoning a creature but how do you plan to fight me with no weapons and zero attack?" It was then Yugi realized that his creature had no attack points at all meaning he would have to rely on the creatures unknown special abilities. "That creature is no match for the overwhelming might of God Orgoth."

Just when there seemed to be a ray of light, it was covered once again in darkness. ' _He's right. I can't beat him with zero attack…'_ Yugi's thought process was moving back toward helplessness. ' _Isn't there anything I can do…?'_ Yami was still in trouble and Duke's crazy father still wanted his puzzle. He just couldn't let the man take either of those away from him.

"Yugi don't be a baby! Stand up!" Bakura growled at him catching his attention again, "This is another test for you. This is the King's final challenge to see if you are the true successor of the millennium puzzle."

Yugi looked toward Bakura with complete confusion. He had no idea what Bakura was talking about so he asked "What do you mean 'King'?"

"Listen to me Yugi, only one person on earth can solve the millennium puzzle. Only one person is chosen for the duty of awakening the king's memories." Bakura looked Yugi dead in the eye as he said, "That person is you and I came here to make sure of that."

Apparently what Bakura said was funny to Mr. Devlin as he started laughing out of nowhere, "Heh heh heh Bakura was it? It's useless to kibitz! The millennium puzzle goes to whoever wins this game and if you take a look at the board you know the winner will be my son!" He still believed Duke would rightfully take the puzzle after the game was won, he did not even care about how his son was feeling about all this.

"Rot and die old man," Bakura hissed with a glare toward the fruitcake. He was getting on Bakura's last nerve and that was never a good thing.

Sure Yugi had no clue what Bakura was talking about but he was right in not giving up. Yugi had to do this to prove the puzzle was his and he was the King of Games. No one could take any of those away from him without a fight. Looking toward Yami, he was even more determined now to make things right. ' _I'll fight to the end! Pazoo, he may not have any attack points but I know it has some secret power. I'll gamble on that power. My next move will decide the game!'_

"Now it's my turn," Duke announced once Yugi had ended his turn. He tossed his dice on the board getting just what he needed to send Orgoth on the attack to win the game for him. "Attack and finish this game!"

The sword of Orgoth came down ready to take the last life point away but Yugi wasn't going to let it end like that. "I pay three magic crests to activate Pazoo's secret power!" He shouted and just like that Pazoo started to change.

At first sight it looked like Duke might have won but when the smoke cleared Yugi had turned the tables saving his dungeon master for another turn. Duke's eyes widen when he saw what Pazoo had turned into, "It turned itself into a shield. He protected the dungeon master." Due to this move it deflected Orgoth's attack as if it was nothing.

"Duke this game is not over yet. On my next turn my dungeon master will fight!"

"But Pazoo has no attack points. How are you going to fight like that?"

Yugi could agree with him there but he wasn't out just yet, "You're right it's attack points are zero but the reason why it's points are zero and why it's not armed is because Pazoo is a weapon. It turns itself into equipment for the dungeon master." Duke created the game he shouldn't have forgotten about something as simple as that.

Duke could not believe how fast Yugi had figured that out. He knew of Pazoo's abilities but he did not think Yugi would know how to use them so quickly. "You're right, but to keep the shield you have to pay the crest cost each turn and to change Pazoo into a weapon you need one magic crest and two attack crests. All you have is one."

Yugi gripped the dice in his hands, "Then I'll just have to roll for it…" It was his turn now and it would all come down to his roll. With Orgoth and his dungeon master face to face for the final showdown, Yugi tossed the dice watching them roll around. All was silent as they watched the dice come to a halt giving Yugi two attack crests and one summon crest.

"Yes!" Yugi cheered as he paid the price needed to change Pazoo into sword mode. The little creature shifted in shape changing from a shield to a sword in the dungeon master's hand. Thanks to the change the Dungeon master gained attack points of two thousand five hundred making him stronger than Orgoth. "Go Dungeon master attack Orgoth!"

The Dungeon master leapt forward with amazing speed, splicing the once powerful creature in half just like it had tried to do to it not long before. It was over in a second with Orgoth being no more and Yugi's dungeon master safe and alive.

Duke was speechless as he looked at the board, ' _H-He rolled it just when he needed it… and I don't have anything that can beat his attack points…'_ This was his game of his own creation and the first time Yugi had ever gotten to play it. Without knowing the rules, without even having played it before he beat him… and it was just like Yami said.

Yami smirked as he saw how happy Yugi looked now that he had won. He hadn't even taken out Duke's last life point but the game was over. Yugi's monster was the most powerful on the board now. Mr. Devlin had lost his composure with the lost. He thankfully wasn't even holding the gun toward Yami anymore much to the young adult's relief…. real or not that was scary.

"Now you know that Yugi is the true owner of the puzzle," Bakura stated catching their attention as he moved over to Mr. Devlin. Before they could blink he had gotten the gun and taken all the bullets out of it like a master. "If someone with a weak heart like you tried to solve the puzzle, you'd just end up trapped in a labyrinth of darkness. You got away with your life this time…" Without another word he moved back over to Yugi tossing the useless gun to the side as if he had just did nothing.

Yami gave a sigh of relief as he tried to stand on shaken legs the pain in his head dying back but still there. Yugi forgot everything else as he rushed over to him not wanting him to strain himself. While Yugi was busy with Yami the puzzle was left on the table, Bakura easily picked it all up and made his way over to the two like a friend would.

"I don't trust that old man, better keep this nearby," Bakura stated as he handed Yugi back his puzzle. He could see the guy looking extremely pissed off about the lost, but he was now without a gun so he couldn't do anything too stupid.

Yugi nodded as he let Yami use his shoulders for support while he took the broken puzzle back up in his hands. "It took me eight years to solve it the first time," He looked up at Yami out of the corner of his eye and smiled, "But no matter what I'll solve it again no matter how long it takes."

Yami squeezed Yugi's shoulder with a smile of his own, "I know you will."

Neither of them noticed the one piece left in Bakura's hand as he clenched his fist behind his back. They didn't even notice the evil look in his eyes as he thought, ' _This is the real reason I came to save you… You don't know the true power hidden in the millennium puzzle. No not even your partner does…._ ' He cut his eyes to see the two all smiles as they talk about going home and working on the puzzle, ' _Hidden in the millennium puzzle are the memories of the pharaoh from three thousand years ago. When the six remaining items are brought together the seal will be broken and that memory will be restored. Of course one of those keys is my own millennium item. So I have my own agenda in mind,'_ He clenched the piece tighter as he put a piece of his own soul within the puzzle piece, ' _Now when he solves the puzzle a part of my spirit will become a mind spy… infiltrate the labyrinth of memories and eventually find what I'm looking for inside…'_

"Oops sorry…." Bakura said playing the innocent act again as he pretended to pick something up off the floor, "Before you try to solve that… I found another piece on the floor."

Yugi's eyes widen at that as he carefully took the piece, "Thanks Bakura, I couldn't have solved the puzzle if this was missing." He became so worked up over making sure he had all the pieces that he did not even notice the change in Bakura.

Bakura shook his head to get rid of the dizzy feeling before taking in where he was. His eyes widen a bit as he looked around. ' _Huh Where am I?_ ' He thought, not having any memory of coming there. Yugi, Yami, and Duke were there as well, but still he had no memory of coming there. Plus where was Ryou and why did he leave work early…

While Bakura tried to figure out what the hell was going on, Duke had stood up and moved around the table to talk to his friends, "That was a great game Yugi and I have no regrets about losing. You truly are the King of Games." He looked to his father with his head bowed, "I know you wanted me to get revenge, but Yugi's my friend and I never wanted to fight your battles. I hope now you'll see that the puzzle belongs to him. I'm sorry dad…"

"I know… I was wrong Duke. I shouldn't have asked you to do that…" Mr. Devlin said faking sadness as he looked to Yugi, "I'm sorry for breaking your millennium puzzle. It must have been hard on you…" He moved a little closer to them with one idea in mind, "Let me do something to make it up to you…"

Yugi had no idea what Mr. Devlin had in mind, but he did not expect the old guy to move with such speed and take the chain part of the puzzle out of his hands. It all happened so fast as Yami, who was already weak, was easily pushed back for trying to take the chain back out of Mr. Devlin's hands and then Mr. Devlin looping the chain around Yugi's neck. He pulled cutting off Yugi's air way and pulling him away from the others and toward the wall.

"Come with me or I'll break your neck!" Mr. Devlin shouted as he pulled Yugi who could only follow.

"Dad what are you doing?" Duke shouted at his father, "Let Yugi go! Revenge won't solve anything!"

Bakura had no clue what was going on as he helped Yami get back to his feet from the fall he took. Yami would have gone after the guy but now the tables were turned and Yugi was the one in danger. "Let him go now!"

"Duke now that you lost to Yugi, you are no longer my son. You were born just to exact my revenge. Now that you failed you have no right to live." Mr. Devlin informed him driving a knife right through his son's heart.

Those words stung but he was his father and Duke did not want to give up on him, "Please stop this! Don't show any more of your ugly heart!"

"I don't expect anything from you anymore. I'll get revenge with my own hands." Mr. Devlin reached behind him to turn one of the clown faces and just like that a door opened letting him escape with Yugi before slamming shut behind them.

Duke ran over and started pounding on the door and trying to open it the same way his father just did. "Shit, this door won't open once it's locked from the inside."

"There has to be another way in!" Yami stressed only to have Duke hang his head.

"No and my dad's going to play the devil's board game with Yugi on the other side of the door. We have to find a way to get in from here before that happens."

* * *

Yugi was already struggling to breathe as he was pulled into a room that looked like it was some medieval room for sacrifices. There were chains and drapery hung from the walls and ceiling with a few animal skulls here and there making it even more creepy looking. At the very back of the room was a table set up for two people with the devil's board game sitting on top.

"A forbidden ritual will take place here…" Mr. Devlin tossed Yugi toward one of the walls letting him lose from the puzzle's chain. The young adult hit his head on the wall and with the lack of oxygen he was already seeing black dots. "Stay still until the game is ready."

Yugi groan as he tried slowly to take in air to calm his breathing and to get his vision to clear so he could sit up. His body felt like it was just dead weight as he laid there with a splitting headache.

Mr. Devlin paid him no mind as he set about lighting candles around the board game. "Do you know what this is?" He asked like Yugi would really answer him before stating rather proudly. "This is a cursed Ancient Egyptian game which devours its player's very lives. It's a simple game where two players roll dice to the goal. The scary thing is, every time you move your piece you must bet a number of years. When the game ends, the loser ages by the number of the years they bet." He turned angry eyes toward Yugi as he growled out, "I lost to Solomon at this game and aged fifty years in a single night!"

At this point Yugi had only been able to sit up when Mr. Devlin walked back over to him, "My original plan was for Duke to solve the puzzle and then curse Solomon with this game, but thanks to my shiftless son that plan was ruined…" He easily took the rest of the millennium puzzle pieces from Yugi's limp hand as the other couldn't even put up a fight. "I will build the millennium puzzle! The puzzle is mine and no one can have it!"

Moving back over to the table, Mr. Devlin produced a large nail and hammer, and nailed the nail right through one of the chain loops keeping the puzzle there so no one could take it. "Now nobody can take it from here!" He sat down in front of the puzzle placing the pieces beside him. He picked up one of the pieces, "I'll solve the puzzle and gain its power then make you into an old man with this game and you'll suffer just like I did until you die!"

No could stop him as he fitted one of the pieces in just the right spot and went for another one.

"S-Stop… Y-You can't solve it…." Yugi tried to tell him finding new strength out of nowhere to stand up but still have to use the wall for support. It was like a new fire had come alive while seeing someone trying to solve his puzzle.

Mr. Devlin laughed, "Just watch in my hands this is simple…."

"You'll make…the puzzle…angry…" Yugi warned him. He couldn't understand why, but he felt like he could feel the puzzle's anger as someone else besides himself tried to solve it.

As Mr. Devlin fitted in another piece that's when things started to go downhill for him. He looked down at the puzzle and could feel this weight pulling him down. It was as if his very soul was being pulled from his body and then in the blink of an eye he was surrounded by millions of puzzle pieces. ' _Wh-Where am I?'_ He stressed as he looked around having no idea he was seeing an illusion. He started to freak out even more when the pieces started to fall apart and then he was falling down into a dark abyss.

Outside the illusion Mr. Devlin screamed in terror as he tossed the puzzle away from him making it knock over a candle in the process. The fire from the candle quickly spread as it caught the table cloth below it. After a few seconds from the puzzle, Mr. Devlin's mind started to clear allowing him to witness the fire grow to life around him.

"F….Fire!"

* * *

Outside the room, after having tried many ways of getting the door to open, they stopped when Duke noticed smoke escape out of the room they were trying to get into. Yami's eyes widen as the black smoke made its way into their room. Because when there was smoke there was fire… and it was coming out of the room Yugi was in.

' _No no no no….'_ Yami kept screaming in his head as he wanted even more to get that room open. He couldn't lose Yugi like he lost them! It wasn't going to happen, he couldn't let it happen. His chest started to hurt and it was getting hard to breath. ' _No not now!'_ His body was rebelling against him as his thoughts kept playing the worth case scenario in his head and the panic attack started to set it in.

"Guys!"

Duke turned to see Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Ryou enter the room from the other exit. They couldn't have had the best timing in coming to look for them.

"What's going on?" Joey demanded they were all just standing around some wall that had black smoke coming out of it.

"No time to explain! We have to get Yugi out of here!" Duke urged them pointing toward the door they were trying to get into. "We'll have to break down the door."

Hearing that Yugi was in trouble Joey and Tristan jumped into action. So this left it up to Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Bakura to try and ram the door down, while Yami who was in no shape to help stood back with Ryou and Tea. Yami knew what was on the other side of that door one thing he feared and the other he loved, but he wasn't leaving until Yugi was with him.

* * *

The fire had started to spread faster than they could control it as it moved from the table to the drapery in the room. Yugi was more awaken now than before as he hurried over to the table to get his puzzle. Mr. Devlin was already at the door trying to get it open screaming about the fire.

Yugi got his hands around the puzzle's already hot chain but the pain was nothing as he pulled and realized fast that he wasn't leaving so easily. Looking at the table he saw the nail keeping his puzzle in place. Mr. Devlin wasn't kidding when he said no one would take the puzzle away from him. Yugi used both hands and tried to pull even harder hoping the nail wasn't in there good. Oh how wrong he was when the nail would not even budge. He took in the fire around him and there was no way he could leave the puzzle behind, ' _If I don't get the puzzle out of here the fire will melt it into molten gold!'_

The fire was making it hard to think straight but Yugi did hear the cries from the other in the room and turned to see the fire had caught part of Mr. Devlin's outfit on fire. Not one to let someone die, he left the puzzle and hurried over to the other man, "Mr. Devlin roll around on the floor to put the fire out!"

It was a serious situation and neither was laughing as Mr. Devlin poorly rolled around on the floor until the fire was no longer on him. The man sat up feeling much better now that the blaze was gone off him. He looked toward Yugi with new eyes as the young man just saved him despite what he did.

"Mr. Devlin, you have to open the door and call for help!" Yugi urged him. He couldn't leave his puzzle behind and had to make sure it did not melt on him.

"Th-The door's stuck… I can't open it…" Mr. Devlin told him not sure what they could do. He could only hope his son realized what was going on.

The news did not sit well with Yugi as he looked at the fire around them then at the door that would not open. That's when he noticed something about the door. For just a second he thought he saw it move like something had hit it. At first he thought the fire was already playing with his eyes when it shook again but this time he heard a voice yelling out to him.

"Yugi! Hold on man! We'll get you outta there!"

There was no mistaken that voice as Yugi called out, "Joey!"

The four guys stood back away from the door prepared to go at it for a third time. On the count of three they went at it with everything they had and that was when it finally came off the hinges and fell into the room. Joey and Tristan were the first to come in covering their mouths from the smoke as they located Yugi with Duke's father inside.

"Are you okay man?" Tristan asked when their friend was in reach, "Come on this get out of here quick…."

However Yugi was worried about other things as he saw Duke come in, "Duke get your father out of here…"

Duke took one look at his father and no matter how much he hated the guy at the moment he was still the only parent he had left. He nodded as he helped his father stand and pull him out of the room, "I'm on it."

Joey went to put a hand on Yugi's arm to pull him out, but the other pulled away and headed back into the room, "Yugi! What are you doing?"

"I can't…." Yugi shook his head not wanting to even think about leaving it. "I can't leave without the puzzle."

Clearly none of them were thinking with their heads as Joey and Tristan followed Yugi farther inside to where the puzzle was. Yugi tried for the chain again but it had only gotten hotter with time nearly burning his hand this time.

Joey cursed their luck as he tried to get the chain lose, "The chain won't come off…."

Yugi looked at the pieces around it and his heart ached at the thought of it being destroyed like this. "I've got to solve the puzzle right now…" He knew his Yami could not save them, but maybe the other Yami could.

"Are you nuts?" Joey yelled, "We gotta get out or we'll burn to death!"

"I can't leave it behind!" Yugi shouted back nearly in tears at this point. He was the puzzle's protector and he had failed at that. The other Yami did not deserved to die like this because of him, "If this place burns down the puzzle will be destroyed!"

"Yugi…" Joey was taken back by those words and watched as Yugi ignored them all in favor of working on the puzzle.

"All of you, let me stay here and make the puzzle, let me make things right one last time…"

"Last...What do you mean 'one last time'?!" Joey couldn't stop himself from grabbing the front of Yugi's shirt making him look at him, "Nothing'll come out of you dying! Don't' be a moron!"

"Please!" Yugi kept his focus on the puzzle despite Joey's grip on his shirt. He would keep working until the puzzle was complete again, "Let me solve the puzzle. Leave me alone!"

Outside the room Anzu, Ryou, Bakura, and Yami waited for Joey and Tristan to drag Yugi back out. The problem was they weren't coming out, Duke had already taken his father out of the building and went to make sure help was on the way. The blaze was moving away from the room and it would not be long before the whole building would go up.

"Sometime today ladies!" Bakura called as he walked to the edge of the room to peer inside. He couldn't really call them friends, but Ryou would be sad if any of them died.

"Yugi won't leave the puzzle and it's nailed to a table," Tristan hollered back at them, "He wants to solve it."

Those words were like a knife in Yami's chest. His Yugi, wanted to try to solve the puzzle, but that just wasn't possible not given the situation. The item meant a lot to both of them but not over Yugi's life. "Just drag him out of there!" He yelled for Joey, "The fire is spreading, please come on!" This couldn't be happening again! Just the sight of the blaze coming out of the room toward them was terrifying enough. He would have gone in there after Yugi himself, but his feet were rooted to the floor. His fear was outweighing any desire to go in there and save his lover.

Joey looked toward the door before looking back at his friend trying to solve it. He could hear the cries from Yami and the others, but one look at Yugi trying to solve the puzzle he knew he couldn't go against his friend's wishes. They had a minute or two before they would have to get out of there. And he would stay but the others had to go. "Tristan, get everyone out of here. You guys will be in danger and I can only focus on helping Yugi."

"Joey you can't be serious!"

"Nothing we can say will make Yugi let go of the puzzle. Just leave this to me."

Tristan was torn, but then Yugi spoke up, "Please Tristan, get Yami out of here."

The two looked at him, but he continued to work on the puzzle like he had not even spoken. Tristan did not want to leave but Joey was right. "Take care of him, Joey. I want to see you both come back alive." Those were his parting words as he left the room to inform the others of the plan and get them out of here.

Yami was almost relieved when Tristan walked out, but when he was not followed by Joey and Yugi then the worry started all over again. "Where are they?"

Tristan did not say a word as he walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He addressed them all as he said, "Joey will take care of Yugi, but it's not safe. We need to get out of here."

"No…" Yami whispered, but when the grip on his shoulder tighten he tried to push Tristan away, "No! I won't leave him!" He started yelling at the doorway trying to get Yugi to listen, "Yugi! Please I can't lose you too!

Tristan kept a grip on his friend being much stronger than Yami, "Joey will take care of him. He won't let Yugi die."

Yami felt tears roll down his face. Someone did say those words to him once before and at that time two very important people to him had die. It was like looking into the past as he watched the fire spread from the room coming toward them. This was revenge for what happened to his parents, the fire was getting back at him by taking his boyfriend away from him. The memories that were once thought to be locked away came flooding back as he watched his childhood home collapse right before his eyes taking his parents with it. ' _I'm once again the cause of this…'_ was Yami's only thought before everything went black.

"Shit!" Tristan cursed as he caught Yami before he hit the floor. He hadn't thought the guy would faint on him.

"The smoke and stress must have gotten to him," Tea guessed as she waved Bakura over, "We need to get him out of here."

While Bakura and Tristan carried Yami out with Ryou and Tea not behind them, Joey stood just in the doorway of the room carefully watching Yugi work on the puzzle. ' _Yugi I'll stay with you on the edge of the river Styx… but I won't let you cross over. If you get too close, I'll drag you back even if I have to hit you.'_ He vowed not willing to let his friend die like this.

Despite the blaze around him Yugi worked on the puzzle like it was the simplest thing to do. The pieces were going in without a problem like it wanted to be put together. ' _I'm so sorry…'_ Yugi kept thinking in his head hoping the other Yami would forgive him. The shattering of the puzzle had caused his boyfriend and new friend so much pain. He would put the puzzle together and make things right.

* * *

Outside the Black Crown game shop lit up the night sky with its blaze as the whole place was covered in flames. Firefighters arrived on the scene trying to put out the fire before it spread to neighboring buildings. This is what Solomon witnessed when he heard the sirens and looked out the window not but a few minutes ago. He quickly made his way down the street toward the scene praying to all gods out there that his grandson and his friends were not trapped inside.

When he got there he looked around trying to find any sign of them and that's when he noticed them standing near an ambulance and two paramedics loading Yami up into the back of it. Going over to them he couldn't help but notice two people missing out of their group, "Where's Yugi and Joey?"

Tristan was a little shocked to find Solomon standing behind them and he really didn't want to tell him that they were still inside, but that's when a couple windows busted causing glass to fly everywhere. Tea latched on to Duke's arm as she looked at the burning building, "Oh god, please tell me they'll make it out."

"Wait they're still in there!" Solomon eyes widen when he put two and two together. "What happened?"

"It's the puzzle…." Tristan informed him knowing he couldn't keep quiet about it. "Yugi wouldn't leave without it and Joey stayed behind to make sure Yugi got out of there alive."

Duke clenched his fist as he watched the shop he built go up in flames. "Do you see, dad? Do you see this fire consuming everything?" He told the man beside him, "This is your revenge!" Because of him he might lose two of his friends. He should have stopped it long before it got out of control.

"I was… I was wrong…" Mr. Devlin shook with fear at his son's disapproval in him. Everything was his fault he knew that, but he had to make it right. He turned and hurried over to one of the firefighters and let him know where the two boys were still. There was no way the blaze would be put out quickly enough for them to get out on their own.

Just as the news was relayed to the firefighters already inside, they all heard what was called back over the radio. " _The second floor is blocked by the fire. We can't go any farther!"_

The news was not something the group of friends wanted to hear as they could only watch and wait to see if Joey could really get Yugi out of there with them both still alive.

* * *

It was getting so hard to breath but Yugi was determined as he fitted in the second to last piece. ' _Almost…Done…'_ Yugi thought to himself as he picked up the last piece and reached to fit it in.

Joey could hear the creak of the wood and knew the place wouldn't stay standing for long. ' _We have to get out of here!'_ He hurried over to his friend hoping he was done already so they could get out of there. There was no telling when the building would go and he was not going to let them die this day. "Yugi!" He shouted when he found his friend passed out on the table hand still around the chain. "Wake up!"

No amount of shaking was going to wake the young adult and Joey had no idea if Yugi had truly finished the puzzle or not but they did not have the time. He put Yugi's arm around his shoulder getting ready to carry him out. However there was a slight stag in that plan as Joey pulled only for Yugi to not budge. He looked back and realized Yugi still had a mighty grip on the puzzle's chain. Completed or not even when Yugi was passed out he wasn't going to let go of the puzzle.

Joey tried to get Yugi to let go, but his grip was too tight. "Move your hand! Let go of the puzzle!" He kept shouting even if Yugi couldn't hear him, "You'll die if you stay here!"

The fire continued to rage around them as Joey pulled on the chain instead since he couldn't get Yugi's grip off of it. There had to be a way to get the puzzle out of here with Yugi before they both died. No matter what he wasn't going to leave his friend behind. Looking up he noticed the board game still sitting on the table and the claw like hands attached to it.

"That's it!" He shouted as the idea hit him just like that. If he couldn't move the table he would have to remove the nail. Picking up the game he used one of the claw hands and put one of the fingers through the hole on the top of the nail. The board game now stood up like a lever which was perfect as Joey raised his foot, "We're not…." He put all his force behind his kick, kicking the game and sending the nail flying up high, "Gonna die!"

* * *

"Stay back the building's going!" The firefighters warned each other as they tried to keep themselves and the onlookers back away from the building. The structure was coming apart and it wouldn't be long before the whole thing came down.

Solomon and Yugi's friends could only watch in horror as more of the building came down almost as if telling them there was no way their friends would be coming out alive. However a second later and Tea gasped as she noticed a figure coming through the front door of the shop.

"Joey! Yugi!" She hollered in near relief as she watched Joey slowly walking away from the fire. Both were sporting bad burns and were covered in ash from the fire, but other than that they were alive.

Before they could even hurry over to them, firefighters had a hold of Joey helping him stand with Yugi in his arms and leading him over to the two other ambulances that had arrive on the scene just in case. Paramedics quickly took Yugi away from Joey also trying to detach the puzzle from him but failing.

Joey let out a chuckled and said, "Let him hold on to it. He nearly died in that fire trying to protect it."

The paramedics looked at him funny, but let it go for now. They checked him over and quickly put him on oxygen, while another set of Paramedics pulled Joey toward another ambulance and set him down. As they checked over him and him fighting them the whole time, his friends came over to talk to him while Solomon stayed with his grandson.

"Joey let them do their job," Tea huffed trying not to fall into tears from having all her friends safe.

"I'm fine, it's Yugi they should be worrying about." Joey said as he waved off the oxygen mask. He noticed the missing of Yami who he figured would be all over Yugi once he got him out of there. "Where's Yami?"

Duke pointed to the other ambulance that had yet to leave. "Fainted when Tristan tried to get him to leave. It's nothing serious and there about to take him to the hospital."

"Dude that was one close call," Tristan pointed out to Joey not believing they made it out alive.

Joey agreed with him, "He built the puzzle while the building was burning down around him. He held on to it the whole time. He wouldn't let go of the chains…." He looked at the ambulance Yugi was in as the paramedics made sure he was stable enough to transport. Solomon was in the back with him holding the puzzle now. The medics must have given Yugi something to relax his hand so they could treat it. As long as Solomon had the puzzle it was in safe hands.

"Sir, we need to take you to the hospital," The male medic beside Joey told him as he tried to give Joey the oxygen mask again. "You were in a fire…."

"Okay, I get it." Joey grumbled as he took the mask into his hands. He looked to Tea and asked, "Think you can call Seto and tell him what happened. I'm pretty sure he'd rather not find out later that his brother's in the hospital."

Tea nodded, "I will…" She watched as they finally got Joey loaded up into the back of the ambulance so they could treat him. The ambulance with Yami and Yugi had already left leaving only Joey's the last one to leave. She turned back to her boyfriend's shop which was nothing as the building started to collapse in on itself. That was one close call she did not like and hoped never happened again.

* * *

 **Sakura:** There was one other part I was going to add to this chapter, but it's getting long enough. So next chapter will be the aftermath of all this mess.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** It's been a long freaking week but it's finally the weekend and time for another chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

 **The Past is Present**

 _Beep….Beep…_

The steady rhythm of multiple heart monitors sounded out into the quiet room giving sign that the two patients inside the private room were still alive. The only sign of movement came from the one occupant sitting on the couch across the room from the bed typing on a laptop. The light from the computer showed it to be Seto Kaiba as he sat in the private hospital room watching over the two patients. It was nearing the midnight hour which was not unusual for someone such as himself to still be up. However there was more keeping him up that night than just work.

The phone call he received hours ago at his office left him in a near state of shock. Never in his life did he want to get a phone call from Tea quickly telling him that Yugi, Yami, and Joey were in a fire and were on their way to the hospital. There was no easier way to say it, but that is still not something he wanted to hear. When Joey had texted him earlier that day to get information about Yami's location he did not realize it was a life or death situation. The blond gave no indication that Yami and Yugi were even in trouble only that he was looking for them.

Of course Seto was about all ready to give them an ear full about worrying people like that when he made his way to the hospital. However after arriving and finding Yugi unconscious from smoke inhalation and suffering from some minor burns, Yami passed out for reasons unknown but Seto had an idea, and Joey barely able to stand fighting doctors who were trying to help him…well the lecture could wait until everyone was on the mend. His brother and his brother's boyfriend were first on his list as he made sure the best doctors were tending to them and that they would be put in their own private room away from any other sick patients. His overly tough boyfriend was next as Seto dealt with getting him to calm the hell down so doctors could treat him. It was after a lot of complaining on Joey's part that he let a doctor and nurse treat his wounds.

After Joey was finished, Seto joined the large group in the waiting room with all the other families waiting on patients or waiting to be seen. It was at least somewhat calm that night at the hospital keeping Seto's growing headache to a minimum. Tea, Solomon, Ryou, and Bakura all sat in a group with Mrs. Mutou who arrived just before Seto wanting to see her baby after getting the call while at a friend's house. Duke sat a few seats away filling out paperwork on his own father who was getting looked at. He had bought him to the hospital rather than needing an ambulance. Seto did not understand why until he got part of the story from Yami's group of friends.

Now the old Seto might have not worried about the rest of the story and just moved on to making Duke pay for hurting his brother. But that's not how he worked now, so he waited until Duke was finished with that awful thing called paperwork then questioned him about what really happened that night. There was a lot of nervousness from Duke when he explained it all not sure what Seto would do, but the CEO listened without a word until the tale was over. Afterwards Seto still wanted to punch the living day light out of Duke and his father, but instead left the room and went to check on the three patients.

And that bought Seto to where he was now spending the night watching over Yugi and Yami while everyone else went home to get some rest. Even Joey was sent home but only if he agreed to spend the night at Seto's place where his own personal doctor could keep an eye on him. It was that or as the doctors at the hospital wanted him to spend the night so they could keep an eye on him. As much as Joey loved Yugi and Yami he hated hospitals and just agreed to be back in the morning to see them like everyone else would be.

It wasn't a place Seto wanted to be in, but no matter what visiting hours were he was going to watch over those two and made sure they get the proper treatment they needed. Yugi he knew would be fine and he did care about his brother's boyfriend as family, but Yami was his main concern. Seto knew the fragile state his brother would be in when he woke up and he did not need anyone including Yugi and their friends making it worst.

A groan from one of the beds snapped Seto from what he was working on. Both patients were still so he wasn't sure who it had come from as he closed his laptop and set it aside as he stood up. Moving over to the beds he checked on them both and found the noise had come from Yugi. The younger adult's eyes fluttered open softly as Seto took up a chair between the beds.

At first Yugi looked kind of dazed as he stared up at the ceiling before he tested movement by turning his head carefully to the side. His eyes widen a little when he saw Seto and just passed the CEO was his boyfriend taking up another hospital bed. It was plainly obvious where he was so he did not even need to ask, but Yami…He told Tristan to get him out of that fire. Fire and Yami did not mix….

"Why…." Yugi tried to ask, his voice hoarse and dry from the smoke. He ended up in a coughing fit with Seto quickly handing him a glass of water that he pour from the pitcher on the nightstand in between the beds.

He waited until Yugi got a good drink and calmed down before he answered the question he knew Yugi had been trying to ask, "He passed out because of the fire. Tristan said they tried to get him out when he collapsed on them."

"I knew this would happen..." Yugi sighed through his mouth since he currently had tubes in his nose giving him oxygen. His whole body felt like crap, but he was sure Yami would feel worst when he woke up. Mental trauma could be worse than physical.

"So you know?"

Yugi nodded, "He told me once when I tried to light candles around my house when the power went out. It was back when we first started dating, but I don't know if he ever told the others."

Seto should have figured Yugi would know, "Must not have because they thought it was the stress and smoke that caused it. Probably only trusted you with the truth. He still blames himself even when it wasn't his fault."

"And this just made it worst…" Yugi felt like kicking himself for being so stupid. There was no telling what that situation looked to Yami. Because he tried to save the puzzle, he might have hurt his boyfriend in the process. He caught sight of said puzzle sitting on the nightstand by the pitcher. It laid there completed once again like it should be.

Seto caught sight of what Yugi was looking at and sighed as he lean back in his chair, "I know why you stayed in that fire, but it was still stupid. I honestly don't believe in spirits and all that weird magic crap, but I trust my brother. Still no matter, that puzzle was not worth anyone's life."

"Seto…"

"No Yugi, did you even think of what Yami would have felt if you died in that fire for that thing. How I could have felt if I lost Joey in that fire. He stayed in there to make sure you didn't die when he could have lost his own life. None of you were thinking and that's the problem…" Seto took a breath to calm himself from raising his voice. He had told himself the lecture would come later. The problem is all those 'what ifs' kept playing in his head since all of them ended up in that damn hospital.

Yugi knew Seto was right but what Seto would never understand that by saving the puzzle he did save another life that night. He kept the Other Yami safe. Yami had told Seto about the other Yami, but as always he did not want to believe in spirits. He went along with everything Yami said and listened to him but Yugi could see that look in his eyes of slight disbelief. It was going to take something major to happen for him to understand and then he could look back and see why Yugi had to save the puzzle.

"I'm sorry…" Yugi still apologized knowing that he could have died and hurt a lot of people by it.

Seto shook his head, "No I should apologize. I'm just not thinking clearly right now and I should not have snapped at you."

It still amazed Yugi sometimes when he got to see how worried Seto got over them. He did not show emotions often but when he did it showed how human he could be. Only those closest to him would ever get to see him like this.

All these emotions were getting the better of him so Seto stood up to return to his couch, "Get some sleep, you need it." He walked away and did not see the smile Yugi had on his face as he let the conversation go. Seto returned to his work as Yugi easily drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning after the sun was well up into the sky, crimson eyes slowly opened to the blur vision of a ceiling that they did not recognize. Yami blinked his eyes a few times to get his vision back into focus before he felt brave enough to take in the rest of his surroundings. The beeping of the heart monitor and the style of the room quickly gave way that Yami was in the hospital for some reason. His mind took a few minutes to catch up with him and remind him about the fire, but he hadn't been burned or hurt…had he?

He finally turned his head to the other side and saw his lover sitting up in another bed with wires connected to him to keep up with his vitals. He was still on oxygen forced to have tubes up his nose, but that did not seem to be getting him down as he worked on a puzzle using one of the food trays that stayed near the hospital beds.

Even though he was feeling slightly sluggish, Yami tried to get his body to work with him so he could sit up. His body felt like a dead weight and was fighting against him, causing him to stop and just lay there.

A small chuckle beside him from Yugi got his attention as the younger turned to him with a smile, "Glad to see you're awake. You know there's a device right beside you that moves the bed."

That was one of those 'duh' moments as Yami reached beside him for the remote that controlled the bed. Being careful not to hit the nurse's button, Yami raised his bed up so he was in a nice relaxed sitting position. He let out a sigh at being able to sit up because now he was able to reach the nightstand and grab for the glass of water that was sitting there.

"You were moving in your sleep so the nurse thought you might wake up soon. She left that there for you." Yugi mentioned to him as he went back to his puzzle. "By the way your brother was here last night. He left this morning to go to work, but said he come back around lunch with the others."

Yami nodded, "How are they?"

"Everyone's fine just worried about us. Joey suffered some burns but he stayed at your brother's last night." Yugi relayed to him what Seto had told him that morning when he asked. He never did have time the night before. It was just a relief that things were not as worst as they could have been.

The silence that settled over them became a little awkward real fast like they were beating around the real question they wanted to ask each other. Yugi knew Yami looked alright and the doctor's might even let him go home that day, but Yugi knew that Yami would be far from alright if he did not talk about it. Seto and Yugi were the only ones who knew the truth and were the only ones who could help him unless he wanted to get help from a therapist. While Yami on the other hand knew Yugi would be alright once he healed but he could have died in that fire. It scared him to think how far Yugi would go for his millennium item.

It was only when the silence became too much that they both opened their mouth to ask, "How are you…"

They stopped and looked at each other realizing they were asking the same question at the same time. Yugi couldn't help but laugh a little at it, their minds always going to worrying about the other. He had the biggest smile on his face as he replied, "I'm doing better, minor burns, on oxygen from the smoke and…" he lifted up his left hand to show the heavy wrappings covering it, "Nasty burn from the puzzle's chain, but I'm told it should heal with only a small scar."

Yami was glad to hear that, despite the number of injuries Yugi had. It was good that he was in high spirits and it was nothing life threatening. "I was worried about you when you wanted to stay behind. I know how much the puzzle means to you, but I did not want to lose you over it," He looked at the puzzle that was back around Yugi's neck.

"Yeah and I'm sorry about that…." Yugi looked down at the puzzle around his neck for a moment before he addressed Yami, "And I'm sorry I caused your panic attack. I wasn't thinking what kind of effect my staying behind would cause on you…."

"Yugi can we not…"

"No it's not good to keep it bottled up," Yugi said in all seriousness as he looked at his boyfriend, "The only reason you had a panic attack was because of that fire and because I chose to stay behind. I know what happened to your parents but I still did something stupid to bring back those painful memories."

Yami couldn't look at Yugi as he tried to keep those horrible memories away. This is why he didn't want to talk about it because it always bought them back. Now he had new ones of Yugi staying in that fire and he couldn't do anything about it because of his fears. His chest started to tighten up again.

"Yami…" Yugi called out to him as he heard the monitor start to speed up. They did need to talk about this but not at the cost of another attack. "Yami I'm sorry…."

"It's alright…" Yami told him as he reached for the glass of water again and took deep calming breaths. He just needed a minute to will those nasty memories to the back of his mind and he would be okay.

Yugi remembered something Seto had told him that morning and he decided he would try it, "You know it was never your fault with what happened to them. Your father was only trying to save your mother…."

"But it was my fault!" Yami shouted slamming his fist on the bed. His attitude quickly switching to anger but he wasn't angry at Yugi. No he was still and would ever be angry at himself for what happened to his parents. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before he apologized, "Sorry...It's just I've heard my brother say that to me all the time when I start to think about what happen."

"But he's right…." Yugi told him and he quickly raised his hand telling Yami not to interrupt when he looked like he was going to, "Let me say this… After you told me the truth about what happened to your parents' years ago, I did my own research about it since I felt like you weren't telling me something. I saw the lawsuit against the company that built the house. I saw how it was their fault not yours about what happened. If the crew had done their job right the house would not have caught fire from the poorly install electricity for the lights and if they had constructed the whole house right the fire would have not spread so fast. "

Of course Yami had heard this a million times before and he had never been convinced by it. If he had only gotten out like his parents taught him instead trying to find their cat, his mother would not have come after him. She would not have fallen through the staircase and his father would not have gotten him out only to go back into the fire to try and save his wife who was trapped. He should have died in that fire not them.

Yugi wanted so bad to be able to get out of that bed and comfort his lover who he knew was going through so much pain. They needed to move past this and even though the scars would remain and Yami's fear would always be there, it did not have to haunt him forever. "Listen…. I promise never to put myself in a situation like that again."

"You can't really promise that…." Yami said offhanded as he went about removing the wires from his chest. Before the heart monitor could start flat lining and warning the nurses, he found the off switch. Once free of all the stuff he threw off the covers and turned to try and get out of bed.

Yugi only watched as Yami carefully stood up and at first he thought maybe Yami was going to leave the room. However instead he simply crossed the way and sat down on Yugi's bed. The smaller adult moved the tray and himself over to give Yami room to lay down with him. Yami immediately pulled Yugi into a hug not at all surprising his lover. Yugi welcomed the embrace as he wrapped his arms around Yami glad that they were both still there and alive.

"There's no telling what kind of trouble we'll get into having the millennium puzzle or who might be after it," Yami pulled back just enough to look Yugi in the eye, "But if it comes to that again I'm not leaving your side. You are my world Yugi…."

Yugi felt tears come to his eyes as he buried his face in Yami's chest. "I love you too Yami…." He hoped it would never come to that, but was glad to hear that from Yami. More than anything he prayed they got to live a long full life together.

* * *

It wasn't much later when their doctor made his rounds and found the two laying like that. He wasn't pleased with the way Yami had gotten out of bed, but after checking him over gave him a clean bill of health. There was nothing wrong with Yami, but after the night before and finding out he had a history of panic attacks he did want to keep him for one more day to be sure he was in the clear. Yugi on the other hand was still in pain and his wounds needed redressing. A nurse was called in to take care of the redressing to which Yami was forced to his bed until the nurse was done. Then once doctor and nurse were done, the two were back in one bed snuggling again. The doctor had been informed by a certain CEO of his arrival around lunch along with Mr. Mutou's family so he would wait until then to give the family a report on how the patients were doing. Other than that the doctor left Yugi and Yami to themselves and reminded them to take an easy before he left them to finish his rounds.

As promised their large gang of friends and family did come and all around the same time. Everyone was there including Mokuba who wanted to visit his brother when he learned about what happened. At first their friends took an easy wasting time just hanging out as Seto, Solomon, and Mrs. Mutou stepped out in the hall to talk to the doctor for a bit. It was only when they were finished that the real party began.

"Happy Birthday Yugi!"

Yugi was blushing the whole time as his friends and family started singing happy birthday to him, some not so well. His birthday had been far from his mind when he woke up that morning but he was glad to know the others did not forget. They even bought cake and presents to try and cheer him up. There were promises of a real party after he was release but this was great all the same.

Yami was glad to see the smile on Yugi's face as he blew out the candles. He kept an arm around Yugi's shoulders not wanting to let him go for a second after his episode that morning. There was still self-doubt and worry plus the fear, but he was going to have to learn to get over it. He just needed to focus on the happier moments like the one now.

Friends passed around their gifts which were mostly cards with money so Yugi could get whatever he wanted. Duke and Joey were about the only ones who got him anything besides money with Duke finally getting Yugi's real gift to him of his copy for D.D.M. They promised to have a real game one day without anyone's life on the line. Just because of what happen Yugi wasn't going to stop playing the cool game Duke created. Then Joey got him a new video game that came out as any friend would when they both had a love for their video games.

It was great just spending time, but watching everyone else give their gifts kind of bummed Yami out. He had this whole thing planned out that after Yugi's birthday party he was going to take him somewhere special. There was something he wanted to ask Yugi, but now it was going to have to wait. With a small smile he tried to hide his slight upset by listening to his partner talking excitingly with Joey about the game he just got.

A tap on the shoulder bought Yami back to the present as he looked beside him to see Mokuba. He took the hand that wasn't around Yugi and placed a small box in Yami's hand. The younger brother grinned as he said loudly for the others to hear, "Yami's turn!"

Yami's face went about as bright as a red light when he realized what Mokuba had given him and what he wanted him to do. This was not the time and place he wanted to do this! "I…."

All eyes turned to the pair on the bed as Yami felt like a deer in headlights looking down at the item in his hands. Yugi hadn't even been worried about Yami getting him anything for his birthday until he noticed what was in the other's hand now. There was a grinning little brother beside him that most likely gave it to him. Looking back at the box he saw the shape and it looked to be about the size of a ring box causing Yugi's heart to speed up. The conversation he had with Tea a while back came back to him. It was quite possible the thing that he thought was going to happen soon might really be happening now.

It was too late to hide the box now that it was in his hands and Yugi had seen it. There was a silent promise to get his little brother back for his, but at least he had the item he needed in hand. The awkwardness was only going to get worst so Yami quickly held out his hand for Yugi to take the item. His face was still red as a tomato as he said, "I-I had this p-plan o-out…" He took a deep breath to calm his stuttering and making a complete fool out of himself. It wouldn't have been so bad if everyone could just disappear for the next few minutes. "There was something I wanted to ask you…"

Yugi held the small box in his hands trying not to get emotional. The answer he had waited to say for a while now just waiting to come out. But he held back and waited for Yami to stay what he needed to say. "What is it?"

"Will you …" Yami took another deep breath to get his nerve in check before finishing with, "move in with me?"

The word yes died in Yugi's throat as he was next to turn red from embarrassment. It's not that he wasn't excited about the idea of living with Yami, but that wasn't what he was expecting. Not with the small box in his hands, which he opened to check and like he thought would be there sat a beautiful ring. "So you're not proposing?"

"Huh…" Yami's face went from nerves to confusion as he looked down to see what was in the box when it should have been a key. Turning eyes over to his little brother he hissed, "What did you do?"

Mokuba was still smiling like a kid who just got away with something, "Just giving you the push in the right direction. You think I don't see things but I do." He pulled a key on a keychain out of his pocket and started twirling it around his finger.

Seto hung his head while the others could only look on trying to figure out whether this was a proposal or not. Yugi was left with a ring in his hand and no clue whether Yami wanted to get married or not, while his boyfriend looked like he wanted to rig his brother's neck.

Mokuba played it safe as he tossed the key to Yami, but hoping he just helped him and he would be getting a future brother-in-law soon. Yugi was great and now that Mokuba could see that he really liked Yugi. He wanted Yugi as a true part of their family and marriage was perfect. When he heard Seto and Yami a few months back talking about Yami's fear about asking Yugi to marry him and Yugi saying no, he knew he had to help some way. And then Yami changed pace from marriage to starting out simple and having Yugi live with him. They pretty much already did that with Yugi spending most of his time at Yami's apartment. The idea Yami had of them living together was a good one but Mokuba could see it every day they both belonged together.

Yugi smiled as he quickly figured out what Mokuba was doing and he was glad he had grown on the boy, but this wasn't how engagements worked. "Mokuba…" He caught the younger boy's attention. "I know what you're trying to do, but it doesn't work this way. If Yami doesn't want to get married…."

"Wait who said I didn't want to get married…"

"Well I just figured since…" Yugi's mind was working overtime at this point trying to figure out what in the world Yami wanted.

Yami could see the looks Yugi had on his face and he hated himself for not going with his first plan that his brother had tried to tell him months ago. Looking toward Seto he admitted, "I was wrong and stupid."

"Told you so…"

Yami rolled his eyes ignoring everyone else except the one who really matter at that moment. He turned to Yugi and explained himself, "The thing was I wanted to propose to you, but I was not sure if you were ready. I was afraid that you might say no thinking it's too early since we're still in school. We've never talked about getting married before, so I took a safe route. I figured that even if we did not get married yet we could live together in our own place." That's when he handed the key that was supposed to be in the box over to Yugi.

"So this isn't a key to the apartment?" Yugi asked just to be sure because he already had one of those.

"No, it's a key to our own place," Yami informed him with a smile, "I was going to take you there today and surprise you, but it will have to wait until you get out of the hospital now."

Their own place now that sounded nice to Yugi. He loved Joey and Tristan like brothers but he couldn't picture them all living in that small apartment with two dogs. "Big backyard for Shadow and Yuki…."

"Yes a very big backyard for them to run around whenever they want."

"Then yes I'll move in with you," Yugi happily told him as he took the key in hand. He couldn't wait to see the place Yami had picked out for them because he knew it would be great. This was going to be their own private place that they could be alone together. However there was still one more thing they needed to take care of, "So you did want to marry me?"

"Of course…. Why?"

Yugi took Yami's hands in his as he looked up at him and with a bright smile asked, "Then Yami, will you marry me?"

At first it took Yami a second to process that Yugi wasn't kidding and he really was asking him that question. A smirk made its way on to Yami's face as he took his hands back and placed them on Yugi's face. "Yes, but only if you'll marry me…" He didn't even give Yugi time to answer back as he pulled him into a kiss.

There were a couple wolf whistles from Joey and Tristan while everyone just clapped with smiles on their faces. When the two broke apart they could not stop the smiles they had on their faces at the thought that they had just gotten engaged. Even became even more real when Yami took the ring out of the box and placed it on Yugi's right hand for now. They would move it to the left after Yugi's hand healed a bit more and he go the bandages off.

Turning slightly Yami reached behind him to ruffle his little brother's hair, "Thanks…"

Mokuba swatted Yami's hand away from messing up his hair before he tackled him in a hug. He had hoped it would work out and he wouldn't cause trouble for his brother. "Just promise me I can visit anytime I want at your new place."

Yami chuckled as he let his younger brother hold on to him, "Always, I'll even get you your own key."

Before long Tea and Mrs. Mutou were hovering over Yugi checking out the ring he had gotten. It was simple band with two stones one amethyst the other crimson intertwined to form a heart. The two were rather impressed with Mokuba for picking out something so perfect for Yugi. The younger blushing at the attention he was being given.

Their guy friends simply congratulated them, Joey and Tristan already plotting out bachelor parties. The happiest in the room was to an all new level. They were having not one but two things to celebrate now helping everyone move past what had happened the day before. Things were changing for them all but in a good way. Yugi and Yami were marking a new step in their relationship showing everyone how much they loved each other. Of course a wedding would not be happening anytime soon with them all still focusing on school, but they were happy with being engaged.

Yugi snuggled more into Yami laying his head on his fiancé's shoulder as he looked down at his ring, "This is the best birthday ever…"

"Truly a day to remember, "Yami said as he took a look around the room at all their friends and family it really was the perfect day. He kissed the top of Yugi's head glad that they could all make him so happy. Despite everything they had been through, they had made it to this moment. No matter what was to come at them next they would face it together.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Yup! Yugi and Yami are official engaged! There was so many ways I could have done this, but once I started typing this way just seem to fit. At first I wasn't going to use Mokuba in my plan to get them engaged, but it ended up going that way and I liked it. I mean he and Yugi never got along and now here he is wanting them to get married. It's a big step in them all moving forward.

Next chapter will have us moving back toward the manga and closer to battle city.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Update time! Please enjoy this new chapter...

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **The Ancient Stone**

Three days in the hospital would have taken its toll on anyone who was getting better and wanted to get out of there. However that wasn't the case with Yugi who had visitors' everyday all day long that kept him busy. Plus a fiancé who refused to be released from the hospital until Yugi was also released. There was nothing wrong with Yami he just did not see any reason to leave when Yugi wasn't allowed to leave.

Yugi on the other hand was doing better. Most of his burns no longer hurt but he still had to be careful of them and change the bandages at least once to twice a day. He had been taken off the oxygen allowing him to breathe on his own, but the doctor did not want to release him just yet. Nurses were to keep an eye on him and see how well he was breathing on his own before they even thought about letting him go.

At least everyone was in high spirits on that day as Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Ryou were all able to visit the two. While Yami lay back on his own bed reading the newspaper, Yugi was sitting up on his own bed playing duel monsters with Joey. The others found spots to sit around the room to just sit and watch the two duelists.

"All right on this turn I'll sacrifice two monsters…" Yugi took away two monsters and laid down his new one, "And summon the Dark Magician to attack your Kung Fu Fighter."

"Aw man that's all my life points…" Joey groaned as Yugi completely destroyed him again. "Why is my luck so bad…? I can't draw the right cards."

"It's not the luck of the draw Joey," Tea said with a smirk, "It's a difference in skill."

"What're you trying to say Tea?" Joey growled even though he knew she was right. He turned away ignoring her for now as he told Yugi, "Alright one more time."

"You're on," Yugi said as he got his deck ready.

Tea watched as the two got ready for another duel, "C'mon Joey that's enough. Yugi's in the hospital for a reason. He's supposed to be taking an easy." She knew Yugi was doing better and he looked better but he wasn't one hundred percent yet. The last thing she wanted was for Yugi to hurt himself and end up in the hospital longer.

"I'm fine honest." Yugi told her as he took his turn.

"Let them play," Yami said to Tea never looking up from the article he was reading, "Yugi will forget all about the pain if he's playing a game."

Tea knew he was right and Yami didn't appear worried, but both of them were still in the hospital. She couldn't help but want them back to their old selves faster. Once they were out of that hospital everything would feel a lot better. Although she still had other things on her mind and was just glad school wasn't one of those things. Besides two of her friends still stuck in the hospital, she was a little stressed about her boyfriend. Duke was taking the burning down of his Game shop a little hard even if he did not say anything out loud to them. These past few days when they talked he would tell her not to worry and that he was fine. But just the tone of his voice and the way he put all his focus into making sure the insurance went through so he could rebuild. Of course there was a chance the insurance company would not go through given it was Mr. Devlin's fault the place burned.

The whole thing was a mess and sometimes Tea did not know what she could do. So she tried to be supportive where she could and let Duke do what he needed to do. That included taking care of his father who was a wreck. Last she heard there was talk of him leaving Japan to try and clear his head. Apparently Duke's father had a brother overseas that agreed to take him in for a while so Duke would have one less thing to worry about. Somehow she hoped all this would be over with so they could all enjoy the rest of their break.

Looking back toward the two playing duel monsters she could not stop the smile that came to her face. Yugi really did look happy especially since he was putting Joey in his place. Over all she was just glad the two were still with them. Even Joey was lucky to have come out of that fire with only a few burns which were healing up quickly.

"AGH! I lost again! I tell you its bad luck," Joey pouted as he threw his cards down.

Yugi chuckled as he collected his cards back up, "Joey, you're using the same deck you used at Duelist Kingdom, right?"

"Yeah, I beat some strong enemies with this deck." He replied and did not see what the problem was. That deck had gotten him through some tough spots. Although he might have gotten a little rusty in his time between that tournament and now. College had been squarely on his mind for the past few years.

"You should assemble a new one soon. I have a strategy to beat it…"

"What? You do!"

Tristan shook his head, "Yugi, just pretend you don't have one. Joey 's the kind of guy who goes through life clinging to past glories."

Joey glared at his friend, "Shut up, you don't even know how to play." He then looked back at Yugi, "Did you put together a new deck?" There were a few cards he hadn't seen before that Yugi had been playing with.

Yugi nodded, "I left my best monsters and replace the rest of the cards. In collectible card games you've always got to keep updating and refining your strategy. Grandpa bought by some new cards and my deck for when I got bored." He smiled at his lover who was paying them no mind, "Yami helped me refine my deck to make it even better than it was in Duelist Kingdom."

"You should ask Seto to help you…" Yami mentioned off hand since in truth he had been listening to them.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Like I'd ask him to help me. I'm more than able to make my own deck. He may be my boyfriend but on the dueling field were rivals."

"I'm just saying he has a large collection of monsters, spells, and traps…" Yami reminded Joey, "and besides it's not all about being rivals. Just like Yugi and I, it's something we both love and can do together."

Joey agreed he did have a point there but still, "Yeah, but he never has the time to sit down and relax. Like tonight it's just me and Mokuba because he's got some late night meeting."

"Who has a meeting that late?" Ryou asked what they were all thinking.

Yami sighed as he closed the paper, "My brother would have a meeting that late. But it's not him who called the meeting, "He turned to a certain part in the newspaper and hand it over to Yugi. "He's meeting someone from the Egyptian council of Antiquities. Seto called and told me about it yesterday."

Yugi took the newspaper to see the article which talked about some Egyptian Exhibit that had come to the Domino Museum. On the article was a woman and beside her it said her name was Ishizu Ishtar. "Why would Seto meet someone about this?"

Yami shrugged, "Probably to see if Kaiba Corp will sponsor the exhibit. My father once dealt with Antiquities back in Egypt before he died. Could be someone from the council recognized us from television or a newspaper and wants us to be a part of it. Exhibits like that always look for big companies to promote things like this so people will want to go see it. If it's not that then I have no clue why they would want to see Seto."

Ryou took a look at the newspaper and that's when he noticed the woman's necklace, "Hey check that out." He pointed it out to Yugi who hadn't seen it at first.

At first Yugi had to do a double take before he realized what Ryou was looking at, "Wait you don't think?"

"Could be…"

Yugi handed the newspaper back to Yami, "You don't know her do you?"

Yami shook his head, "I only know a few people but their probably old by now. I was just a kid when I met most of my father's co-workers. She must be new to the council." He took a look at what Ryou and Yugi saw and noticed what he had overlooked, "Hold on is that a millennium item." Right there around her neck was a necklace with the same eye that was on Yugi's puzzle and Ryou's ring.

"It might be, but we don't know who she is and why she has one." Yugi sat there thinking it over. If someone else was coming to Domino with a millennium item, it could mean trouble. That was the last thing they needed when things were looking up for them.

* * *

Ten o'clock in the evening the lights outside the Domino museum lit up the structure in the night with the setting of the sun. A limo pulled up outside the front stairs as the driver informed the rider that they had arrived. He got out of the vehicle and quickly opened the back doors for Seto Kaiba, who stepped out silver briefcase in hand.

A second person moved around the vehicle from the other side to stand beside his boss, "This late and at a museum of all places…" He looked toward the building which was closed for the day, "Mr. Kaiba what kind of business deal is this? Who is this man?"

Most Kaiba Corp employees would never think of questioning their boss, but these two were two of his most trusted guard who followed him to ever business deal to protect him. They were also workers in the company and did anything Kaiba needed of them day or night.

"It's not a man," Seto informed them to both their surprise, "It's a woman and an important person in the Egyptian government." At least that's what he was told when he got the phone call earlier that day. Today was a day he would have been able to go home early so he could visit the hospital and see how Yami and Yugi were doing, then enjoy a hopefully relaxing evening at home with his own boyfriend and younger brother. Those plans were quickly killed with the phone call and he swore if this meeting turned out to be something completely ridiculous and unimportant someone was going to pay.

When the three walked up the stairs and approached the front doors, a young woman with her own guard stepped out to greet them, "Welcome. You must be Mr. Kaiba…" She said referring to Seto and offering her best smile, "It's an honor to meet you. I am aware of Kaiba Corp's remarkable strides in the high-tech gaming industry."

It was quick to see that boasting about his company was not putting Kaiba in a better mood so she went on to introduce herself properly, "My name is Ishizu Ishtar. I came from Egypt to oversee the dynastic exhibit that will be held in this museum." She did look every bit Egyptian from the dark skin, to her clothes, and the accent that Seto could just slightly hear. It slightly reminded him of his mother who had been half Egyptian and when he once lived in Egypt. Of course he quickly pushed those memories to the back of his mind. There was no point in remembering the past….even though those were some of the best memories he had.

"Please come in…" Ishizu thankfully changed his thought process by turning to reenter the museum. He followed her hoping to get this over with so he could move on with his life. Egypt and everything about it was no longer a part of their lives.

Of course that was little hard when Ishizu felt the need to show him the new exhibit that would be opening the next day. "The supreme council of antiquities is a government agency formed in 1859 to protect artifacts from grave robbers. We observe excavation throughout Egypt and exhibits like this one around the world."

"If you're looking for someone to find mummies, I'm sorry to disappoint you…" Seto was already ready to leave. He knew all this from when his father was alive and worked for the council. He had no plans on being a part of any of it. Kaiba Corp would have nothing to do with finding old artifacts or sponsoring any exhibits. He merely came there so as not to be rude since Ishizu would not come to his office for the meeting. "My focus is technology, high-performance silicon chips for electronic game design. I don't have the least interest in ancient stones from thousands of years ago."

Ishizu stopped in her walking but did not turn to face him as she said, "Don't worry. I don't intend to keep you here all night merely to lecture you on Pharaonic culture. However I understand that you play duel monsters. What if I told you that the game originated in ancient Egypt?"

Now for a moment that did grab Seto's attention. It had been something he had only thought Pegasus had created which helped Kaiba Corp in its holographic technology. If it wasn't for duel monsters, Seto would not have had such a big break when he took over the company from his step-father.

"Of course you know Maximillion Pegasus, the game designer created the present form of duel monsters. But it's little known fact that he came up with the game after a trip to Egypt…" Ishizu turned her head slightly to look at Seto over her shoulder, "What I'm about to show you is a carving-a palette- from the mortuary temple of a pharaoh from the 18th dynasty. Perhaps this palate will trigger some inspiration in you as it did for Mr. Pegasus."

' _What is she up to…?'_ was Seto's thought process as he began to follow her again until she stopped outside a dark doorway. Inside the room was pitch black with no telling what was inside.

"Please after you…" Ishizu offered letting Seto enter the room first before she followed him this time. She went right to where she knew a light switch was and said, "Behold the origin of duel monsters…."

The light turned on and Seto found his eyes widening as he beheld a rather large stone with carvings all over it. ' _Th-These rectangular shapes on the stone slab. They're exactly like duel monsters….'_ He thought as he took it all in. Some of the monsters carved into the stone looked very familiar as duel monsters he had seen in the game before. One happening to be the five card monster of Exodia.

"The ancient Egyptians like many cultures thought misfortunes were caused by evil spirits. These spirits of evil, fear, and suffering were believed to live in the people's hearts. To bring peace the pharaoh's magicians tamed the evil spirits. They gave them names and physical forms trapping them in stone slabs on walls. But within the stones the trapped monsters slowly became more powerful. In time a group of priests acted against the pharaoh and unleashed the evil power of the stone slabs, starting a conflict that shattered the kingdom." Ishizu did not give him time to fully take it in as she moved over to the next slab to show him what she really wanted him to see. "This palette illustrates that conflict. This is what I wanted to show you…"

If Seto thought he had been surprised he was put into an even more state of shock when he moved over to see what she had wanted him to see. At first he had to do a double take to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. ' _That carving looks just like Yami!'_ One of the figures carved into the stone looked like his brother's real twin rather than himself and right above him was an almost perfect copy of Yugi's Dark magician.

"The young king wields the Black Magician and the white beast handler confronts him…"

' _Th-The white beast? Could it be…?'_ He took in the dragon above the second figure, ' _The blue eyes white dragon….'_ But that honestly did not bug him as much as the figure did that looked like his brother.

"This palette depicts the 'diaha' the duelist battle as it was known in ancient times…"

"This can't be…" Seto interrupted her to get her to shut up for a second, "What's Yami doing on an ancient relic?"

Ishizu looked at him completely serious as she replied, "I don't' know any Yami. This depicts a battle between the pharaoh and a priest-magician. But I know that battles like the one in this three thousand year old carving still live on today in some form…." She waited a second to see if he would listen before she went on to say, "The age of the pharaohs ended more than two thousand years ago with the Greek and roman conquests. But before that my home country, Egypt, was rule by a line of dynasties for more than three thousand years. The figure here is a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty."

"Pharaoh!"

"Yes, this cartouche… this nameplate indicates that he is a pharaoh but the name itself has been defaced," Ishizu explained as she pointed out the cartouche below the pharaoh but it had been marked out. "This is the only pharaoh whose name has not been found either in his tomb or the king list in the temples. In other words he has been completely erased from ancient Egyptian history…."

"A pharaoh?! Stop talking nonsense!" Seto found himself shouting since this woman was really started to piss him off saying all this nonsense. He knew his brother and he did not know what kind of sick joke this was putting something like that in the museum, "That's Yami! My brother and I think I would know if he was some three thousand year old pharaoh. How do I know you didn't just make this slab a few days ago? There's no proof it's three thousand years old. Even carbon dating doesn't work perfectly on rocks!"

"Seto...Do not let your heart waver but if you face this palette it should speak to you in some way…" Ishizu stated calmly watching as the scowl on his face did not lift. It was easy to see he was one of those nonbelievers. "The young priest who fights with the pharaoh, the beast he has summoned…is it not like…"

"Shut Up!" Seto did not want to hear any more of this. He saw the beast and he saw the priest below it. None of this was real and was just some cheap joke which was seriously not funny. Yami was no pharaoh and he was not the priest! "Nonsense! This is a joke! Duel monsters were invented in the mid-nineties. There's no way its three thousand years old!"

Ishizu was still not fazed by his shouting as she simply said, "Just like the famous western magician Aleister Crowley is said to have used icons from the book of Thoth to create his Thoth tarot so was Maximillion J. Pegasus led by fate to create duel monsters. So perhaps fate still leads the souls of the king and the priest depicted here even now after three thousand years…"

"Ishizu," Seto was no longer shouting but he had turned away ready to get out of there and away from the crazy woman, "If you a government official of the Egyptian supreme council of antiquities called me here to lecture me on the occult you're wasting my time. I'm busy developing the next generation platform for duel monsters."

However before he could full walk away Ishizu pulled him back if only for a second, "I know. In that case allow me to move to the main subject…" She turned to look at him to make sure he had stopped before asking, "Seto are you aware of the legendary rare cards Pegasus created?"

Now that had Seto's attention as he turned back to her, "What?"

Ishizu pointed back up toward the slab, "Take a look…"

That was when Seto finally notice the three beasts carved above the pharaoh and priest that he had failed to see. Too busy trying to deny all the lies Ishizu was spouting. However when new powerful duel monsters were mentioned she had his full attention.

"Do you see the three palettes carved above the heads of the King and the Priest?" She asked even though she knew he had seen them now. "They depict the three hidden gods of Egypt around the millennium puzzle. Maximillion Pegasus created three unique cards based on these carvings. From right to left they are the God of the Obelisk also called the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon also known as Osiris, and lastly the Sun Dragon Ra."

Seto of all his dueling life had never seen or heard of such cards. It left a million questions in his head wondering if that part of her tale was even true. If that were the case then he wondered where in the world were they and who had them. He was actually listening as she went on to explain about them not once interrupting.

"The three god-beasts are believed to represent the polarities of the universe. Obelisk…light and dark. Slifer…good and evil. Ra… heaven and earth. It is said that the one who acquires these three cards the supreme and victorious one, the duelist of duelists will reign over the world of cards and deserve the title of Duel King."

' _Duel King!'_ Now that certainly had his attention because that could be his shot at getting his title away from Yugi. Sure the smaller duelist was becoming a member of his family but they were still rivals. "Where are these three cards? Who has them?" He could not stay quiet any longer as he hoped she knew something if she was mentioning it. If not it was a waste of his time.

"That is why I need you to find out," Those were not the words Seto wanted to hear as she went on to say, "Pegasus eventually repented of creating these three cards. He said it was his greatest mistake because the cards gained great power as if the gods themselves dwelled in them. It is for a reason that these cards are forbidden. They can be used for good or evil. If used by an evil heart, they could take the opponent's life. They are the ultimate weapon of duel monsters."

' _The ultimate weapon… Could they have that legendary power of dealing direct damage to the opposing player…?'_ That had never been allowed in tournaments before but that would be an idea for the players to make the game even harder. His new system he had been working on for the past year could make all of that possible.

"Pegasus tried to eliminate the three god cards himself but in the end he couldn't do it. Then he thought of putting them to eternal sleep by burying them deep in the Valley of the Kings the place from whence their spirits came." Ishizu informed him, "At Pegasus's request, Egypt's supreme council of antiquities sealed the cards in three different locations in the Valley of the Kings, but someone stole them…."

The news of that was upsetting to know but Seto knew ways of finding things that were lost. He had done a lot just to get his Blue Eyes White Dragons cards. With a little time and money he could find them and get them if only he had a small led at who had stolen them, "Who would know about the existence of cards so secret that even Pegasus feared them? Who could have…?"

"The Ghouls…." Ishizu replied before Seto could even finish his sentence, "You've heard of them haven't you Seto?"

Seto's eyes widen when he recognized the name, "The rare card hunters who operate behind the scenes all over the world? It was them?" That certainly was a snag in the plan as they were a tough group to find. "Stealing rare cards by stealth or force… selling them on the black market for profit… Recently I've heard rumors that they're even making bootleg cards…." People like that pissed Seto off, he had learned his lesson the hard way and would never walk down that road again. ' _In Islamic legend the ghouls are monsters who dig up graves and eat dead flesh. Like their namesake they're rotten to the core. If they have the three hidden god cards I won't allow it.'_

"Seto we need your help," Ishizu spoke up pulling his attention back to her, "For the honor of the Egyptian government and to carry out Pegasus's wishes we want you to get those rare cards back." She turned away from him to look back up at the stone slab, "We held the museum exhibit in this town to display the palette showing the origin of the cards. I believe this palette has a power that attracts duelists."

"So you're making this town into a stage for a duel monsters battle royale…" Seto said with a smirk. He had already been thinking about a new tournament to launch his new duel system and something like this would be perfect. It wouldn't take long to do either since his new system was already finished with a few final tests to go through. "The ghouls will surely sniff out and target a large gathering of duelists. They'll want my Blue Eyes White Dragons too…" Pulling the duelists in and making them stay would make it that much easier to pull in the ghouls too and get those rare cards back. Plus he could never pass up a perfect chance to face Yugi and prove who the real King of Games was.

"One more thing…" Ishizu reached into her pocket and pulled out a duel monsters card handing it over to Seto, "This is for you…"

Seto actually dropped his briefcase in shock as he carefully took the card that was being handed to him. He was staring at and holding one of the three gods that he had just moments ago thought all been stolen, ' _The God of the Obelisk! What's she doing with it?'_ One minute she was saying they were gone the next she was giving one to him.

Of course Ishizu had an explanation for it as she explained to him, "We were able to prevent this card from being stolen. To retrieve the other two I am entrusting you with the God of the Obelisk."

' _So this card is bait…'_ Seto thought not believing his luck. His deck would be unstopping with this in it and any tournament would be a breeze. However there were still those terms, "Are you sure you can trust me Ishizu?" He asked her with a smirk now on his face, "What if I retrieve the three rare cards but refuse to let them go?"

"I trust you." She told him with a completely straight face.

' _This will be interesting…'_ Seto thought as he turned without another word and left leaving Ishizu to her artifacts. His mind was already filled with ideas and plans to get this new tournament going in motion before the end of the summer. No doubt the museum would not have the exhibit for long so he only had a small window the ghouls could possibly be in town. He had to keep as many duelists there was long as he could in order to find the last two remaining god cards.

Before the end of this tournament he would be the new Game King because as much as he liked the idea of the god cards the title was all that matter anymore. He was not the same man he was before so Ishizu was right in trusting him.

* * *

 **Sakura:** So I kind of focused on Seto in this chapter like it does in the manga to give him a little spot light. He's changed a lot and for the better. Only after the Gods cards long enough to get them and gain the title of King of Games. Which belongs to Yugi, but Seto doesn't think that way. Anyway next chapter I'm going to skip a chapter in the manga with Seto dueling the computer and put some focus on Yugi and Yami with them getting out the hospital and finally getting to see their new home.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Sorry about last week and not updating but with work I couldn't find the time to get on the computer barely found the time this week but I made it before midnight. So I made sure to update this week because next week there will not be an update. I'm finally moving to a new house and will not have time, plus I'll have a lack of internet for that week. Once everything has settled I'll be back to my once a week update. If something comes up I'll be sure to post something on my profile for everyone.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Where I Belong**

The first thing Yugi did when he walked out of the hospital was throwing his arms up in the air and breath in the fresh summer air of Domino City. He had the biggest smile on his face loving the fact that he was finally free after nearly four days stuck in that hospital. Overall he was healing up nicely with a few burn scars here and there from the fire, but other than that he was perfectly healthy. There was no longer any point for him or Yami being in the hospital.

Yami chuckled as he set their bag right beside him, "I would say you're happy to be going home."

"Hell yeah," Yugi could not help but say as he grinned up at Yami, "I would have been happy to go home days ago."

"But days ago you were still in pain," Yami replied as he lightly tickled Yugi's side causing the other to squirm away. It was nice to see Yugi in such high spirits, especially since they would both finally get to go home to their place. The one Yami had gotten for them to live in together.

Once feeling safe that Yami wasn't going to try and tickle him again, did Yugi look around to see if their ride was there. "I figured the others would have been here by now."

Yami shrugged, "Probably got caught up in traffic or something it is the noon lunch rush." It would have been fine for Seto to have just gotten his own car dropped off for them to take home, but apparently that was out of the question. Seto had informed him that morning that a limo would be by to get them.

Yugi figured that as well as he looked back up at his partner, "I've been meaning to ask, but how are you and the other Yami doing?" Throughout their whole recovery his mind had been on other things and he had been so worried about Yami that he nearly forgot about the spirit. He had been though a lot too after the puzzle having been dismantled and thankfully put back together.

"He's fine, he went dormant for a while to recuperate while we were in the hospital so we haven't spoken much. But I will say it's kind of nice having that feeling back that he's there in the back of my mind. I hope none of us have to go through that again."

Yugi could completely agree with him on that but there was still that feeling that he wanted to hear from the spirit himself that he was alright plus there were some questions he wanted to ask. Things he couldn't really ask Yami because he wouldn't know the answer. "Do you think I could talk to him for a second?" He asked since he didn't want to force Yami to switch or force the spirit to come out.

There was silence on Yami's part for a second making Yugi think he shouldn't have asked, until the smaller adult looked up and noticed the change. The other Yami was looking at him and it was amazing sometimes at how much Yugi could tell the difference. All their friends said they couldn't figure out who was who, but Yugi could. The other Yami had this feel about him that gave off power, plus the way he held himself was not the relaxed Yami that Yugi feel in love with. Then there was the slight change in eye color that let him know for sure that his boyfriend had taken a backseat to let the spirit out.

Before Yugi could even utter a word the other Yami spoke, "Yugi…I haven't had the chance yet to properly thank you for what you did. That day in that fire, you didn't have to stay behind and save me but you did."

Yugi was surprised by those words not expecting a thank you at all. He had only done what he could to save the other Yami and make sure they all left that fire alive. "I only did what I felt was right. It wouldn't have been fair to let you die in that fire while all of us got to live on. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had let that happen. You're a person to even if you don't have a body and besides…" He smiled a little when thinking of the one friend who had truly saved them, "It was Joey who really saved us. He didn't have to stay behind and make sure we both got out after I fainted."

The other nodded and stated, "You have very good friends…"

"We have really good friends," Yugi corrected him, the other Yami was a part of them all now. It still looked like it would take some time but he hoped the other Yami could see himself as a part of their group.

"Thank you," The other Yami thanked him again. He was still not used to all that was going on around him and he tried to stay back as much as possible to let Yami live his life. And speaking of Yami… "Yami said you wanted to ask me something."

"Oh yeah…. I wanted to see how you were doing…." Yugi said nearly forgetting what it was he wanted to talk about, but quickly added. "But there was also something else…"

When the other did not say anything else Yugi continued, "I noticed Bakura was different than he had been before when I was battling Duke. I'm not sure what may be going on with him or if that evil spirit was never truly gone and has return but he said something that I haven't been able to get off my mind. It was something like the one who solves the millennium puzzle will have the duty of awakening the king's memories." He looked up at the other and asked the question he hoped might lead them in the right direction into learning more about the other Yami, "Are you a king?"

There was a pause in the conversation as those words sunk in before the other Yami sighed, "I don't know I don't remember where I came from or even my name…. I only know that I can exist through Yami when you wear the millennium puzzle…"

"Oh…" Yugi looked away it wasn't the answer he was looking for, but maybe he had been hoping for too much when he remember all that Bakura had been talking about. He still did not understand that mess and so much had happened he was sure even Bakura probably did not even know what he had said if that was Bakura.

"But I'm happy here…." The other Yami confessed surprising Yugi, "I've enjoyed my time with the both of you. At this point I don't care if I never find my memories. I've been making new ones…"

Yugi was so happy to hear that, that he did not even realize he had started crying. The other Yami was his friend too and hearing those words caused him joy. There were times he worried the other Yami wasn't getting much out of life being trapped.

A hand reached up to wipe away those tears causing Yugi to look up and noticed that his boyfriend was back in control. Yami grinned at him before he kissed Yugi's forehead. "No more tears, you had the other me worry that he did something wrong."

Yugi let out a small laugh as he welcomed the embrace Yami pulled him into, "Well tell him he did nothing wrong, I'm just happy is all."

Yami was happy to hear that and he was even more glad that their ride had just showed up to pick them up. It was finally time to go home and for Yugi to see their new place.

* * *

The ride was a quiet one as they were driven to their new home. It was only when they were about a block away that Yami asked for Yugi to wear a blindfold. He wanted to surprise him like he was going to do on Yugi's birthday but did not get the chance. Yugi had no problem with it as the blindfold was put around his eyes and waited until the limo stopped.

They did not have long to wait as the limo pulled up in front of their new home and put the vehicle in park. The driver then quickly exited the vehicle and went around to their side to open the door for Yami. Yami got out first, before he reached in to carefully help Yugi out. While the driver dealt with their bags, Yami lead Yugi a little ways toward the front door before he stopped.

"It's a little late but I hope you like the second gift to your birthday," Yami mentioned since the ring ending up being the first gift for Yugi's birthday. He reached out and carefully took the blindfold off so Yugi could see their new home.

It took a second for Yugi's eyes to adjust to the light but when they did his jaw nearly dropped. The house was huge and gorgeous; he almost figured they had pulled up to someone else's house. Often times he forgot how much his future husband really had until he pulled something like this. Yugi turned to Yami with wide eyes, "So this is really our house?"

Yami nodded with a huge smile, "Sure is, as you can see it's got a large driveway and perfect front yard for the pups, plus a gate to keep anyone unwanted out and to keep our little ones in." He explained pointing out the long driveway that lead from the gate they had come through to a circle driveway that surrounded a small fountain. The yard that surrounded the driveway was a lush green with some brushes lining the tall stone fencing and a few trees to give the area shade from the summer sun. "Then we have the house itself… A beautiful two story home with four bedrooms along with three bathrooms, an office, and all the other necessities we need for living along with a pool as an added bonus."

By the time Yami finished Yugi was chuckling because of how Yami sounded, "You sound like one of those realtors…"

"After spending months hanging out with them trying to find the right house, I'm not surprised." Yami said with a chuckle as he looked up at their home, "It took a while but once I saw this place I knew it was perfect minus the few improvements I made to it."

"Improvements…"

"You'll have to go inside and see…"

Yugi was bubbling with excitement to go in as he looked back at his two stories home that was modern in look with its red brick design. There were three small steps leading to a small porch and leading to the front door which was just glass frosted over so no one could see inside. The place already looked fantastic and as he walked with hurried steps to the front door, he knew the inside would be just the same.

Yami was right behind him as Yugi used his key for the first time and opened the door to their home. However Yugi did not get much time to look around the new place because as soon as he walked into the foyer the lights that were once off were turned on.

"Welcome home Yugi and Yami!"

Yugi was taken back and nearly fell into Yami as all their friends and family greeted them. He should have known they would pull something like this, but it still surprised him all the same. Even more so as he did not get a chance to regain his foot as Shadow and Yuki broke away from Joey and practically tackled both their masters.

The others were trying their best not to laugh at the scene as the two were covered in dog kisses. However Yugi and Yami knew their babies so it was easy for them to get them under control and calming sitting beside them wagging their tails. Taking the time to train them had been totally worth it when they were smaller.

Mrs. Mutou was the first to walk up to the two and pulled them both into a hug, "It's so good to see my two boys out of the hospital." She kissed them both on the cheek.

"Mom..." Yugi whined trying to pull away. It was something to have his mother kissing his cheek but in front of everyone. It was still down right embarrassing no matter what age he was.

Yami was just as embarrassed not at all use to getting kisses from anyone other than Yugi. He just stood there as all of Mrs. Mutou's attention turned to her son wanting to see for herself that he was all better.

"Mom please… I'm fine really…"

"Are you sure? Do you need to sit down? We don't want you getting sick." She gushed over him until grandpa stepped in to save them.

"Let the boys' breath dear." He walked up to them and patted Yugi on the back, "We Mutou's are tougher than we look, aren't we my boy?"

"Sure…" Yugi simply agree to get them off his back. He wanted to explore his house already, but he did take note the foyer looked awesome. It reminded him of the one Seto had at his manor just smaller in size. There was a living room to his left and a dining room to his right and the anticipation was about to kill him.

Joey had this knowing smirk on his face as he could see that look in Yugi's eyes so he decided to step in, "Hey, Yugi you've got to see the rest of this place. Yami certainly outdid himself."

The others caught on and it wasn't long before Yugi was being showed around by all his friends letting him get the full feel of his new place. Apparently they had spent hours in his house before he got released from the hospital to set up his and Yami's welcome home party. And a birthday party since Yugi could not really have one in the hospital and they wanted to throw him one. Everyone was there as it should be and made Yugi all the more glad to be home where he belonged surrounded by friends and family.

* * *

Yugi felt like he was in some kind of fairy tale and it was only a matter of time before he woke up. Now the house wasn't as large as something Yami was probably use to living in his brother's mansion most of his life. But this place was a lot bigger than Yugi's family game store and Yami's small apartment. It was comfortable enough for them to live in and enough room to house all their friends and family if they needed to. Their pups had plenty of room to play around in and outside the house, meaning a less of a mess on the parents.

There was a large living room, kitchen with an attached dining room, plus a very nice den area for lounging in and a pretty big bathroom downstairs. While there were four bedrooms and an office upstairs including a bathroom in the hallway and a master bath in the master bedroom. Outside there was a brand new pool that Yami had put in for them to enjoy during the summer months along with a backyard with plenty of space and a tall stone fence for privacy.

According to Yami the person who owned the house before them had not fully completed construction of it because something came up. He got it for a deal because it was unfinished and use his and his brother's own resources to make sure the place was perfect. After what happened with their parents they wanted to make sure the place was in the best shape and that nothing could go wrong with it.

The house was located in the middle of a cove with their neighbors being a little ways down the street. There were only two empty lots on either side of them that was being well maintained to keep the area looking nice and there was no one but empty land behind them. It was quiet and the drive to their friends' house, family's homes or the university would not be long. Yami had done all he could to make sure neither of them had to drive far but were also out of the main downtown area of Domino.

After touring through the house multiple times to make sure he saw everything, he finally found a spot to stand and look out at the backyard. Mostly everyone was gathered on the patio outback by the pool while some of the others took the comfort of the air conditioned den. Mokuba was playing with the dogs, Tea and Duke were lounging by the pool, and Seto was using up one of the patio seats typing away on his laptop.

This left the others doing their own thing in the house, while Yugi stood taking it all in. He only was pulled from his thoughts when someone came up beside him.

"I gotta say your one lucky guy…" Joey commented as he looked out where Yugi was looking.

"I still feel like this is a dream…" Yugi turned to look over his shoulder at Yami who was talking with Yugi's mother about something. Knowing his mother they were either talking about plans for a future wedding or how she could add her own touches to the house. It had been fully furnished by Yami with things they needed, but over time Yugi and Yami would probably change somethings up. Of course Yugi still had to decide what he wanted to take from the game shop to move in here.

Joey could almost understand the feeling. When he first started to date Seto it felt like some dream and wasn't really true. Took some getting used to and now here was his friend newly engaged and moving in with his longtime boyfriend. He was happy for Yugi and knew this was a huge step for the two. "It won't be long before the newness wears off. But I gotta say it will be different around the apartment without Yami around."

"You could always move in with Seto?" Yugi suggested since Joey pretty much lived at the mansion now.

"Nah, we're not ready for living together full time and besides I think Tristan would get lonely."

"I think I would live," Tristan commented having been paying half attention to the two from his spot in a recliner. "But I wasn't the one Yami left the apartment to…"

Yugi looked at Tristan confused for a second before looking up at Joey, "So Yami gave the apartment to you?"

Joey nodded, "Offered it to me but I only agreed under the condition me and Tristan took over the rent. I know Yami and he would pay for it even if he wasn't living there."

Yugi could agree with him there. Yami could be sly like that wanting to take care of everyone. "Sometimes I wonder if he cares too much."

"And that's where you come in," Joey said as he patted Yugi on the back, "You keep him in line and take care of him when he won't take care of himself."

"Joey, are you harassing my fiancé?" Yami joked as he joined the two making Yugi jump when he felt arms come around his waist.

"Well you can't hog him to yourself," Joey said with a smile as he watched the way Yugi's face light up. All his life he had known Yugi he hadn't seen him smile this much. There were never any regrets of his staying in that fire to save Yugi. He would do it all over again if he had to, but hopefully nothing like that ever happened again.

* * *

By the time the sun had set on the peaceful city of Domino, Yami was seeing the last of their guest to the door. Mrs. Mutou and Grandpa were the last to leave wanting to make sure the two would be alright while everyone else had left before dinner each for their own reasons. Now Yugi and Yami had the house to themselves which was a lot quieter without everyone there. The dogs were passed out in the den in the middle of the floor too tired out to move while Yugi cleaned the few dirty dishes they had so they wouldn't sit overnight. Mrs. Mutou had been kind enough to go shopping the day before and made sure their house was fully stocked so the two wouldn't have to go shopping.

They both of course still had to move Yami's stuff out of his apartment and Yugi's stuff out of the game shop but that would come at another day. For now the day had finally come to a close and they had the place to themselves.

Yami entered the kitchen as Yugi finished loading up the dishwasher and started it. He turned to his lover and smiled, "They gone?"

"Yeah, although I think your mother would have loved to stay the night."

Yugi could agree with him there, "I have no doubt she would have," He cleaned his hands on a small hand towel then tossed it back on the counter. Walking up to his fiancé he wrapped his arms around Yami's neck giving him a peck on the lips, "I can't tell you how good it feels to be home."

"I might have an idea of how good it feels," Yami said before he reclaimed Yugi's lips for a much longer kiss. The two stood there kissing until the need for air made them pull apart.

Yugi was a little breathless but it felt oh so good. "Everything taken care of…?"

"Yeah, the house is locked up and the pups are asleep in the den. Why?" Yami wondered not sure what Yugi had planned.

Yugi developed this smirk on his face as he said what was on probably both their minds, "How about we take this upstairs and try out that king size bed of ours." It been such a long time since they were alone together and now they wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming home and hearing them.

Yami's mind went straight to the gutter with those words as he verified by asking, "You mean to do more than sleep right?"

Yugi backed away from his partner with a smile, "What do you think…?" He turned and walked away knowing Yami would be right behind him. He was right of course as he didn't not get far before Yami was sweeping him off his feet.

"Allow me…" Yami said with a smirk as he carried Yugi out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Tonight would be a long one but for all the right reasons.

* * *

 **Sakura:** This is the shortest chapter of this story thus far. Hopefully won't have too many more of those, but I wanted a chapter of just Yugi and Yami coming home before we get into all the seriousness of Battle City. I know it seems like it's taking forever but next chapter will lean back toward the manga. A lot of stuff is going to be happening next chapter…

Oh and if you skipped the message at the top, there will be no update next week. The reason why has been posted at the top if you are curious.

 **Yumi: Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** I'm back! It wasn't supposed to take two weeks and I'm sorry that it did. I had the chapter ready, but stupid internet people couldn't get there stuff right, plus between moving and unpacking there just wasn't time. Well all that mess is behind me and hopefully I'll be able to update once a week again.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **The Gathering**

It simply took only one week and the young couple was all moved into their new house. The place definitely looked lived in after adding their own touches here and there along with moving the furniture how they wanted it to be. They didn't have to do much as Yami had already made sure most of it would be how they would like it before they moved in. It only took a day with the help of their friends to move Yugi out of the game shop and Yami out of his apartment. Joey and Tristan liked the idea of extra space plus Tristan was now allowed to have his own dog, Blanket at the apartment. Mrs. Mutou had taken it a little hard watching her son move out, but Yugi still worked at the Game shop with his grandfather so he would be around to visit nearly every day. There was no way Yugi was going to let Yami pay for everything when they both had jobs.

Although Yami's job did not require him as much since it was only working with his brother on certain projects and currently he had no projects of his own at the time giving him a relaxing week at home with the dogs. On that particularly Sunday while Yugi was with his grandfather at the game store, Shadow and Yuki were lounging around downstairs in the den trying to stay cool from the hot day.

While Yami, who had been napping on the couch for the past few hours had hurried upstairs to take a quick shower and get dressed to meet up with his partner. Before Yugi had left for work that morning, he and Yami had made plans for after he got off, but since Yami fell asleep on the couch and forgot to set his alarm… well that left him with trying to hurry up and get ready so Yugi would not be waiting long.

' _What's the rush…? I'm sure Yugi will understand,'_ The other Yami informed his host as he watched Yami struggle got get the white polo shirt over his head. Once again Yami forgot to unbutton the few buttons at the top, ' _The buttons…'_

Yami paused realizing the mistake that was just pointed out to him and undid them so the shirt easily sipped over his head. After his head was free did he address the spirit, "I just hate making Yugi wait." He admitted as he threw on his sneakers after slipping on his tan shorts. Looking in the mirror he noticed his hair looked a mess from the fight with the shirt.

As Yami went about fixing his hair the spirit looked around the room at the mess. The bed was unmade from that morning and the place was covered in clothes as Yami went about trying to find the outfit he had planned to wear. It had been hiding in the back of his closet when Yami swore he had moved it to the front the night before.

Only after Yami was satisfied with the way he looked did he turned toward the spirit, "Hey I hate to ask this, but do you think you could kind of hide back. It's been a while since Yugi and I have had a real date and I just want it to be the two of us."

' _There's nothing wrong with that,'_ The spirit told him although he did get kind of lonely in the puzzle, but he would allow Yami his space. The couple deserved the day to themselves after all they went through, ' _You know what to do if you need me.'_

Yami nodded and just like that the spirit disappeared going dormant letting Yami know he was not watching or listening to what was going on around them. This wasn't just a day for Yugi and Yami, but the two planned something for the spirit since lately Yami had taken notice to him being down about having no memories. He seemed to act fine, but Yami knew ever since Yugi bought up that whole maybe he was a king thing, that it had started to bug the spirit more. They hadn't had a chance to go to the museum where that new exhibit was being held so a long overdue trip was in order for that day. Hopefully there would be some clues to tell them more about the puzzle or at least lead them in a new direction.

* * *

Yugi stood outside the game shop a little bit after one waiting on Yami to arrive. He had gotten a ride that morning from Joey since his friend did not work far from the Game shop and they both had to go into work early that morning meaning Yami did not have to get up as early. Honestly Yugi knew he needed to get his own vehicle soon, but since he refused to let Yami get him one it was taking a little time. The house was enough and Yugi knew it would not be much longer before he could go shopping for a good one. When he was simply going from the university to home or Yami's apartment the bus was fine, but now that he lived farther out a car was definitely in order.

Checking his watch and seeing the time Yugi sighed, "I so bet he lost track of time."

"Who lost track of time?"

The new voice made Yugi jump as he whipped around to see his partner standing just behind him. Yami lifted up his shades and winked at him making Yugi blush.

"I thought you forgot…"

"I didn't forget, I fell asleep," Yami admitted with a blush of his own causing Yugi to laugh. At least that was better than him forgetting.

Yugi walked up to Yami and took the hand that was offered to him as he led them back to the side of the game store where Yami had parked, "Where do you want to go first?"

Yami shrugged, "Doesn't matter to me, have you had lunch yet?"

"A snack that's about it…"

Yami opened the passenger door like a gentleman allowing Yugi to get inside first, "Then lunch comes first…" He gently closed Yugi's door before going back to the driver side and getting in, "It might have just been better if you took my car this morning."

"No, sports car are not my thing," Yugi flat out said as he went about turning the radio to a station he liked. It was nice yes but too much power and he just wanted something simple to get him from home and work.

Yami could understand that but he wished Yugi would just let him get him a car. "You sure you don't want me to get you a car."

"I'm sure believe it or not I do have some money saved up for one just thought I never need it." Since they were not married yet Yugi and Yami agreed to keep their financials separate. They were not trying to keep secrets from each other but they also didn't go about every day talking about money. They both had their own money and used it how they needed and how they liked. As long as the bills were paid it was not a problem.

Finally finding a station he liked Yugi sat back and just enjoyed the ride.

* * *

Knowing his partner like the back of his hand Yami didn't even have to ask where Yugi would like to go for lunch. Burger World was the number one choice and thankfully there wasn't a large crowd. They were able to order and easily find a table to sit down.

"Does he know?" Yugi asked as he took a sip from his milkshake waiting for their food to come.

Yami shook his head crossing his arms as he sat back in his chair, "Not as far as I know. He's been quiet these past few days and I asked him to let me have full control today so I know he's not listening in on us."

Yugi nodded as they nearly fell into another silence but he spoke back up, "So where else did you want to go?" It would be kind of boring if they used the beautiful afternoon to only go to the museum.

"Where ever you want to go…."

"I don't know…"

They looked at each other, before they both broke out into smiles and chuckles. It seemed they planned this day with really nowhere in mind of where to go. The waitress came over at that point to give them their food and she had this big smile on her face as she sat the tray down. However that wasn't the only thing she placed on the table. A folded piece of paper was slipped over to Yugi along with a wink.

She walked away without another word leaving Yugi to unfold the paper and see a number written inside with the words 'Call Me'. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Surprisingly it happened to both he and Yami almost every time they went out to eat anywhere with both waiters and waitress. It was nothing new and looking over to see the young lady was behind the counter chatting with her coworker and sending subtle looks his way. Well Yugi knew how to handle this…

"Hey Yami…" Yugi leaned across the table reaching to touch the side of Yami's face, pulling him closer to him.

Yami could already guess what the paper might have had on it as he met Yugi halfway. Not caring that people were watching as he let Yugi kiss him. It was brief but would get the point across. But just in case Yugi peaked back over at the counter to see the girl had wide eyes and the killer was when Yugi flashed his engagement ring. After that she disappeared into the back and more than likely they wouldn't see her again.

"I bet even when were married things like this won't change," Yami figured. Their relationship wasn't a secret from the public but those who did not know would most likely still try. Even if they wanted to keep it quiet it would be hard.

Yugi smiled, "Doesn't matter if it does because the only one going home with you every night will be me."

"Same here," Yami agreed as he went right back to his meal. One day they would be married and it would be a day to remember.

* * *

As the hours flew by all seriousness of their real agenda was forgotten for a while as Yugi and Yami made the most of their day. But before long they couldn't put their trip to the museum off any longer if they wanted to help the other Yami. So before it got too late they drove to Domino's museum wanting to see all the new Egyptian exhibit had to offer.

When they arrived at the front it was no surprise to find the place deserted on a Sunday. Plus it was nearing supper time meaning a lot of others were headed home to eat. Going into the museum it was nice and quiet so they could look around in peace. They didn't worry about any other exhibit as they walked the halls until they got to the new one. The Egyptian exhibit was a hallway full of all kinds of artifacts that actually made Yami sort of miss Egypt. But there was no time for him to reflect on his own past as he reached into the back of his mind to wake up his other self.

It did not take long to awaken the other who was curious as to what was going on. He could look through Yami's eyes and see they were at the museum, ' _What's going on?'_

"There's something I'd like you to see," Yami informed him letting him take over his body. The switch came a lot easier to him now.

Yugi paused in front of a stone tablet turning toward his boyfriend, "There's got to be something in here that might help us." He took notice that it was no longer Yami he was talking to as the other Yami looked around as if he was really confused on where he was. "Oh…You've switched on me."

"Sorry, Yami said there was something I should see. But why are we here I thought the two of you had a date?"

Yugi smiled as he said, "We were on a date, but we also had a surprise for you." He motioned to the place they were in, "The Egyptian exhibit might hold something in here to help you remember your past. Or at least I hope it might, I mean the puzzle was from Egypt after all."

"That is true but…" His words died in his throat as he caught sight of what was behind Yugi. He surprised the other as he moved forward placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder to silently ask him to move aside.

Yugi did and he turned around to see what had the other's attention. That is until his eyes settled on what had been behind him. Never before had he thought he would see duel monsters craved into a stone tablet and as his eyes traveled downward he let out a small gasp of shock. Below what could have been the dark magician was a craving that looked so much like his boyfriend. Reading the small plate beside it told the visitors that this was an ancient duel between a mighty pharaoh and one of his priest. It couldn't have been this easy to find the answers….However it seemed it was as the small duelist saw something else that surprised him.

"He has the millennium puzzle!" Yugi stated in shock when he noticed what was around the pharaoh's neck. If this figure looked so much like his boyfriend and had the millennium puzzle then that meant…

"The soul of the lost king of ancient Egypt trapped in the millennium puzzle for thousands of years. That is who I am." The other Yami said not looking the least bit shocked by it all. He actually looked kind of relaxed about it. "After all this time it's no wonder I've forgotten everything."

"Does this bring back any memories?" Yugi dared to ask since they felt like they were already so close.

The other Yami shook his head, "I see this and it seemed to explain it all, but there are still questions left to be answered. Why was my soul inside the puzzle? Why were my memories so important they were sealed away in the millennium items?" He sighed since this tablet only seemed to only leave him with questions than answers, "Plus there's the other duelist…"

"Other duelist…"Yugi wondered looking back at the tablet to the other figure. His eyes widen as he stepped closer to get a better look, "Wait a minute is that Seto." They looked eerily alike just like Yami did to the pharaoh.

"It appears Yami is not the only one with ties to the ancient past." The other Yami mentioned as he stood staring at the tablet. If only he had his lost memories all of this would seem more clear.

While they were so focused on the tablet they never heard as someone else approached them until she spoke up, "We've been waiting for you Yami…"

The two turned at the new voice, the other Yami keeping Yugi slightly behind him not knowing who this person was or why she knew Yami's name, "Who are you?" However Yugi did recognize her from her photo in the newspaper so he placed a hand on the other Yami's arm to keep him calm.

"I am Ishizu Ishtar," Ishizu introduced herself to the two, "For a thousand years I have protected a piece of the pharaoh's memories…"

Both their eyes took notice of the millennium item she was wearing meaning she wasn't lying about holding a piece. This was yet another millennium item but no clear clue of if she was friend or foe.

"The millennium necklace grants the power to see into the near future. I knew you would visit…" She informed them as she saw they had noticed her necklace, "…and I know a great battle will soon be waged in this town. I can see it."

"A great battle..?" Yugi questioned not sure what to make of that.

However Ishizu paid no heed to Yugi's question as she continued on and said, "You came here yourself, you chose your fate… a fate of fighting. In order for you to regain your memory you must gather all seven millennium items."

It appeared the other Yami did not like where this strange conversation was going as he bluntly asked, "Tell me one thing first. You have a millennium item, are you my enemy?" He was not about to let someone else try and hurt his host and Yugi over their millennium puzzle. If she was here to cause trouble he would stop her before it even could happen. Memories or no memories their safety came before everything else.

"Some millennium items have an evil intelligence inside them but my millennium item is no enemy of yours." Ishizu filled them in as she also added, "The enemy who will soon appear before you is the one who possesses the last millennium item."

' _The last millennium item…'_ Yugi thought with a bit of confusion. So far they had only come to see five out of the seven millennium items which was the ring that Ryou owned, the key and scales that Shadi held, his own millennium puzzle and now Ishizu's item. That left two unaccounted for making him wonder why Ishizu would say they were about to meet the last one.

There was no time to question her on that as she turned to walk away but not before giving them one last piece of information, "And that battle I spoke of will be a battle to regain the pharaoh's memories." With those words she walked away as if she was only there to give them a clue.

* * *

After their strange encounter Yugi figured they call it a day to try and figure out what that had been all about. He and the other Yami walked out of the museum where for some odd reason crowds of people had begun to form. There was no telling what they were in for so the two kept to themselves as they started to make their way to the parking lot.

"Do you think it's true what she said?" Yugi asked curious about it. It's just something he couldn't let go since Ishizu truly did have a millennium item. They had trouble with the items before and just when things seem to be normal something else was being thrown at them.

The other Yami sighed as he stopped walking, "I don't know Yugi, but it's nice to know there has to be a reason for my memory lost. However I don't know what will happen when I regain my memories… will I have to leave?" He kind of liked how things were despite being tied to the millennium item and having to live through Yami. He felt in a way that he belonged there.

Just the thought of losing someone did not sit right with Yugi. He honestly did not want to dwell on it now as he changed the subject, "Kind of cool though to be meeting an ancient pharaoh." He stated with a grin trying to keep the negative out.

"I'm not a pharaoh anymore Yugi…"

"Still, you were a pharaoh at one time and that's still pretty neat." As he said that a thought stuck him as he had a great idea, "Hey we can call you pharaoh until we discover your real name."

The idea was not a bad one but the other Yami had to asked, "Why pharaoh?"

Yugi smiled up at him, "Well you were one at one point and it's much better than referring you as the other Yami. It's just until we figure out what your real name was and I think it suits you."

The other Yami, now known as pharaoh, couldn't stop the smile that came to his face. "If you think it suits me, then I'm alright with that."

Now that, that was taken care of Yugi took the other's hand in his and asked, "Well we still have some time is there somewhere you would like to go?" He was sure Yami wouldn't mind letting the pharaoh keep control of his body for a little bit longer. There was still time to let him explore and let him get used to their world.

Before the pharaoh could speak someone else called out to Yugi. They both turned to see a tall blond wearing a leather mini skirt and a corset top with a leather vest come running up to them.

"Mai!" Yugi stated in shock as he moved from the pharaoh's side and met her halfway.

"It's been a while how've you been?" Mai asked as she pulled Yugi into a hug.

The hug caused a bit of jealousy to course through Yami's body and it was a second later that the pharaoh was once again taking a back seat as Yami took back over. He had no idea who this woman was or why she was touching Yugi. Most of all he couldn't understand why Yugi knew someone who dressed like that.

Mai released Yugi and looked up at Yami when she had the feeling she was being glared at. Having a feeling of what was going on, Mai developed a grin as she asked, "Oh my is little Yugi on a date…"

Yugi blushed under the attention as he moved back over to Yami side and put his hand in his to keep him calm. "Kind of, this is Yami he's actually my fiancé."

"Wow, I thought I recognized you. Aren't you Seto Kaiba's brother?" Mai asked of Yami.

Yami relaxed a bit with Yugi back by his side. It seemed this Mai was okay for now. "I am and you are?"

"Mai Valentine," Mai properly introduced herself putting a hand out to which Yami shook and then let go, "Yugi and I met during duelist Kingdom where he kicked my butt in the finals." She said with wink to Yugi.

"You were still a pretty tough opponent," Yugi reminded her.

"Still it wasn't enough to beat you," She stated before looking between the two, "So how long have you been together?" She recalled Yugi having his friends there to cheer him on, but she hadn't seen a boyfriend during the tournament. There was never any indentation that he was seeing someone.

"We went to high school together, but didn't official start dating til after the tournament." Yugi filled her in, "It was just a week ago that we got engaged."

Mai nodded glad to see Yugi happy with someone, "Well congratulations to both of you. You've certainly snag yourself a good man Yugi." She did not know all that much about Yami except what was in magazines about the Kaiba brothers, but Yugi looked happy with him. Plus she couldn't be one to judge since she didn't know Yugi that well only for that brief time during the Duelist Kingdom tournament.

Another blush developed on Yugi face as he looked up at Yami. He certainly did luck out when it came to his lover. Wanting the attention off of him he turned back to his friend and asked, "So what bring you to Domino Mai?"

"Wait a minute… didn't you get the info? Don't tell me you're just here by accident."

"Info?" Yugi questioned not sure what she was talking about.

"No way! It's really just a coincidence?" Mai's eyes widen when she realized Yugi wasn't joking around, "Yugi, I'm sure you've had to have felt it already…"

"You're talking about the presence of duelists," Yami spoke up causing both to look at him. He wasn't much of a duelist himself but he had felt the strange looks being pointed their way ever since they left the museum. He just didn't want to worry about it unless something happened. Yugi was the King of Games after all and there were always duelist in Domino looking to take his title. But so many in one area was a bit strange.

"Yeah the people here are duelist from all over the country," Mai filled them in, "A few days ago this weird invitation or more like a clue was circulated in card magazines and online. 'Come to the place where the ancient duelists and their cards slumber in the stones' Plus a date and time… and now today they're supposed to announce a huge duel monsters tournament. It's Japan's biggest duelist gathering ever."

Yugi hadn't noticed it before but now that he looked around he could see other faces he recognized from Duelist Kingdom. Everyone around them was a duelist and he had never seen so many in one area before. It was a little intimating since he was the King of Games and he did not leave the house this morning to duel. Hell his duel deck was at home because he didn't think he need it.

"Who is hosting this tournament?" Yugi asked not knowing that in just a few seconds his question would be answered.

A limo pulled up in front of the museum causing all eyes to turn as the driver quickly got out opening the back door. Honestly Yugi and Yami were not at all surprised when Seto Kaiba and his younger brother Mokuba stepped out to the awaiting crowd.

Yami felt like slapping himself in the face for not realizing it sooner. Kind of explained the secret project his brother had been working on and pretty much explained why Seto did not talk about his own trip to the museum. Ishizu had not been lying when she said a battle was soon to take place but he didn't think a dueling tournament.

"The rumor is he spread the information…" Mai told them.

"I'm not surprised, he would pull something like this," Yami replied back.

Mai looked at him, "You didn't know about it?"

Yami shook his head and turned his attention back as his brother began to speak addressing the large gathering. "Listen carefully duelists…" A hush developed over the area so that everyone could hear what he had to say, "In this town, two days from now a duel monsters tournament will begin!"

That defiantly had the crowd rile up, but only briefly as Seto continued to speak, "There are two conditions to enter. Number one you must have a forty card deck with at least one rare card and number two you must own this next generation duel disk." He placed something on his arm that Mokuba had handed him before showing it to the crowd.

It had been a while since Yami had seen the duel disk his brother had been working on. He had known development to the second generation duel disk was almost complete but never did he think his brother was done. The first generation duel disk never even made it into stores because the design had been all off or so Yami told his brother. In a way he was glad Seto had this new one up and running plus he should have known his brother would hold a tournament to show it off. However in the back of his mind he just felt like there was more to this.

And he was right as Seto threw another curve ball at all the duelist before him, "Also all duels must be played with an ante. The loser must give the winner their rarest card. In other words the champion will acquire the rarest cards out of everyone here."

Now that had everyone's attention as word spread fast throughout the large crowd, duelist already getting pumped for the new tournament to start. However there was one question that still was left unanswered. Where would this new tournament take place?

Seto Kaiba never left anything half done so of course he already had everything planned out. And he let them know as he stated for all those around to hear, "The stage is all of Domino City and in two days' time this town will become battle city!" Those were also his parting words as he turned back to his ride. Kaiba Corp employees in suits who had arrived in other vehicles stayed behind to handle the duelists and give them the information they would need so they could register for the tournament.

Yami kissed his partner and said, "I'll be right back." He left Yugi with Mai as he easily by passed his brother's goons to get into the same vehicle his brothers had gotten into.

Mai watched him walk away and asked, "What's that about?"

"Probably find out why his brother didn't tell him about the tournament." Yugi guessed knowing it wouldn't be long before Yami returned.

Of course Yugi was right because as soon as he got in the vehicle coming face to face with his brothers the first thing he asked was, "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"It's not like we meant to leave you out, but you've been so busy is all," Mokuba said always trying to place peacemaker between the twins.

Yami highly doubt that, he wasn't so busy that they couldn't at least talk to him about it. He looked to Seto wanting some real answers, "All this time you've been working to get that new duel disk system up and running. Now out of the blue you want to start this tournament. I know you Seto and there's something more going on."

"It's just as you said I've been working on getting the new duel disk system running and I have." Seto informed him while also adding, "What perfect way to display it then to hold a tournament that will out do Duelist Kingdom."

"That's not the only reason you would pull something like this," Yami couldn't figure it out and sure he and Seto weren't as close as they were when they were younger, but he had thought they were getting better. But it appeared the duelist in Seto would always be pushing his brother away. "Why do this now, you know that Yugi just got out of the hospital a week ago. I don't like the idea of him being in a tournament so quickly."

"I believe that would be he's own choice."

"Damnit Seto! Listen to me…"

"Stop it!" They both hushed up as Mokuba shouted at them not likely how this was turning out. He reached into his brother's briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper with info about the tournament. Passing it to Yami he explained, "We had no idea you two would be here. We were going to come by later tonight and talk to Yugi about the tournament." Mokuba looked at his brother with those puppy dogs' eyes and said, "Talk to Yugi about it before trying to make decisions for him."

Yami took the piece of paper and leveled Seto with a glare as he said, "We're not done here." He opened the door and got back out of the vehicle slamming it behind him. He watched as the car drove off after that. Sometimes his brother could get on his last nerve.

Yugi hurried to him after he got out of the vehicle and could tell that Yami wasn't happy, "What happened?"

Yami sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Nothing just more family drama…" He passed the paper over to Yugi, "They were going to come by tonight to tell us about the tournament but we ended up saving them the trouble."

Yugi took the paper but didn't read it yet. "Any clue why he's holding this new tournament..?"

"Apparently it's for the new duel disk system, but I think there's something more going on that he is not telling me. Honestly I'm as much in the dark as you are." Yami let him know of what Seto told him and what he thought of it. He looked to his partner and asked, "Are you going to take part in the tournament?"

"Well I've never backed out of a challenge before and I am the King of Games it wouldn't be right if I didn't enter a big tournament such as this. Some might think I'm a coward afraid to lose my title…." Yugi could see the look Yami was giving him and knew this wasn't the place to talk about it, "Let's go home and talk about this more. All these duelists are starting to give me the creeps."

Yami was fine with that as they walked away and headed to where Yami parked his car. They had a lot to discuss about this new tournament, but Yami couldn't stop the haunting feeling that this was only the start of something big. Looking back one more time at the museum, it made him wonder if what they had seen and heard at the museum was somehow tied to it all.

* * *

 **Sakura:** I tried my best to not make Yami seem like he's trying to control Yugi, he's just worried about Yugi and being a little protective. He also has some minor trust issues with Seto at the moment. The poor guy has a lot on his plate at the moment and there is more to come.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Normally I have something to say before each chapter, but this time I'm just gonna say enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Rare Hunters**

In a remote unknown location a group had gathered below ground. Their leader sat upon a throne his face masked by the hooded cloak he wore. The only thing visible was the scepter he held in his grip that had the same eye as on the other millennium items. Another cloaked figure stood beside him while all others bowed before him.

One bravely raised his head and reported, "Duelists from across the country have gathered in Domino city. The tournament is being hosted by Kaiba Corporation…"

The leader chuckled evilly, "There's nothing more convenient than all your prey gathering in one place. What fun…" He raised the rod out toward his men and announced, "Now my ghouls… unleash the rare hunters. Our next target is Domino City!"

* * *

News of the tournament hit far and wide all around causing even more duelists to show up in Domino City. Though there were some who still had no idea what was going on including a certain blond who got left out of the lope. He only found out about it because of his friend who called him up the day after it was announced and invited him over to talk about it.

"So it's called Battle City?" Joey confirmed as he made himself comfortable on his buddy's couch. Yugi sat across from him on the love seat where he had been previously watching TV.

Yugi nodded as he muted the TV. Once Joey came over there was no need for it anymore. "Yeah, a lot of good players are in town for it. Some I even recognized from Duelist Kingdom."

"Kind of a low blow for Seto to not tell us about it," Joey said with a pout as he crossed his arms. "We are some of the best players out there not to mention you were number one at Duelist Kingdom while I came in second." A thought hit him as he looked to his friend, "You don't think he wanted to leave us out on purpose do you? I mean you told me you and Yami just happened across the place he was going to announce the tournament."

Yugi highly doubted that and he told Joey so, "Yami found out that Seto was supposed to come talk to me yesterday afternoon about it. I think he wanted to hand out our invitation personally. "

"Still he didn't come see me yesterday or this morning…" Joey thought back to the last few days, "Come to think of it we haven't really seen each other lately. The last time we really got together was during your welcome home party. I figured it was just work keeping him busy."

"Could still be work, but as for this morning that could be Yami's fault." Yugi mentioned to his friend, "Yami left early this morning to go talk to his brother about keeping this whole thing a secret. Mokuba even knew about the tournament but not Yami which I think bugs him a little."

Joey could agree with how Yami might feel as he said, "It bugs me even now. I'm his boyfriend and he hasn't told me anything. I thought Seto was getting better about not keeping stuff all to himself."

Yugi could tell Seto had changed but there were still some things that needed to get better. Just like Yami and Seto's relationship as brothers was complex so was Joey's relationship with Seto as a couple. They all made it somehow work for now.

"Even if he really had plans to tell me about it or not I'm still going to enter the tournament."

"Don't leave me out, I'm going to enter too, but after I give Seto an ear full tonight about not telling me about it." Joey said as he was already cooking up some evil ways to get back at Seto. There was no excuse in his book for this when even a simple phone call would have been nice. "You think Yami will enter this time?"

Yugi shook his head, "Nah already told me he wasn't interested." Which didn't bum him out a whole lot like he thought it might, he would still have people he knew entering the tournament. In the meantime it would let he and Joey spend some quality time together as they prepared for Battle City which wasn't that far away.

"Well then I guess it'll just be me and you again just like Duelist Kingdom," Joey said with a grin before he added, "By the way what were those new rules you mentioned on the phone."

"Oh yeah those rules…" Yugi reached over beside him and grabbed the flyer. He then passed it over to Joey, "There are two new rules for this tournament. One being the tournament has an ante rule so we absolutely can't lose a single match. We have to bet our most rare card and the winner gets the loser's card."

Joey tensed up a little had that rule. "Means I'll lose my red eyes…" Not something he wanted to think about losing, but he wasn't some push over duelist anymore.

"Another condition to enter the tournament is you need a duel disk. A new virtual reality card machine Seto invented." Yugi pointed it out where a picture of it was on the flyer. "Sadly our store doesn't carry it, but I hear it's already on sale at card specialty stores… I thought about going later today to get one."

Joey had to admit the duel disk did look good in the picture. Be even nicer if his boyfriend would just be kind enough to give him and Yugi one. "I guess where we get this duel disk is also where we register for the tournament."

"I can only guess it would be one in the same. I'm hoping Yami will come home with some more info."

If anyone could get information out of Seto, Yami would be the best one out of all of them besides the younger brother. But until Yami got back, Joey could just relax and hang out with his friend like the old days. "By the way off the subject of the tournament. I got some other news I wanted to share with you."

"What kind of news?"

"Nothing bad I swear, it's just I heard from Serenity the other day and I think she wants to come live in Domino with me."

Yugi's face lit up in a smile at that. He knew Joey missed his sister and it was only weeks ago he got to go visit her to see her graduate high school. "That's great Joey and now with Yami moved out you have the room for her to live with you."

Joey nodded a smile of his own on his face, "It's so hard to see each other when we live so far away. She's trying to convenience our mother to let her come stay with me. Serenity wants to attend Domino University for two years for her general education classes. Still not sure if she'll stay after those two years, but I'm glad she has a plan and it will be nice to have her here." He spoke highly of his sister proud of her in every way. "It's so strange sometimes to see my little sister growing up so fast."

"Well you two are not that far apart in age," Yugi mentioned. He was so happy for Joey and he really hoped it all worked out. "Let me know if she does move here we can throw her a party. I think the last time I saw her was just after Duelist Kingdom when she went to have her surgery."

"A surgery all thanks to you."

Yugi heard that a million times and he would never regret his decision. "She needed that money more than me." He reminded Joey.

"Still it wouldn't have happened without your help," Joey reminded him right back. He honestly couldn't wait to find out if she would be coming or not and if she came during the tournament would be even better. She could see her big bro in action on the dueling field. The summer was turning out to be a great one so far.

* * *

Yami sat staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours which it really was since he had been there since eight that morning and it was nearly eleven according to his watch. His brother's office was quiet except for the ticking from the clock on the wall and it was really starting to get on his nerves. He thought if he got there early enough he could catch his brother off guard and talk to him about yesterday, however according to his secretary Seto came in at seven then left for a morning breakfast meeting with a client.

Since that plan was a bust, Yami figured he just wait on his brother to return not realizing how long of a wait that might be. He was really close to wanting to hack into his brother's computer and cause some trouble for him when the doors behind Yami opened.

Turning slightly he witnessed his brother step inside and close the door behind him. Seto didn't even look at Yami as he made his way across the room and behind his desk. The only words Seto spoke were, "What do you want?"

"Oh no hello good morning brother," Yami said with complete sarcasm as he crossed his arms. "It's good to see you to."

Seto finally looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow, "What's your problem?"

Dealing with Seto was like pulling teeth, so Yami bit his lip and said, "I want to know everything about this tournament."

"You know everything like everyone else."

"Cut the crap!" Yami demanded trying not to get angry, "You just don't come up with this tournament out of the blue unless there is something in it for you. What is it that you don't want me to know… I'm not going to go away otherwise."

Seto knew Yami was true on his word. He would follow Seto around all day if he had to just to get his answers or if Seto made him angry enough… well for Yami hacking into Kaiba Corp was child's play. There were ways to get out of this and not give everything anyway. "Let's just say I was asked by a new client to start this tournament."

Remembering his trip to the museum, Yami dared to ask, "Does this have anything to do with that meeting you had at the museum." He hadn't forgotten how Seto never told him what that meeting was about. At this point it had to be more than being a sponsor.

Seto sighed as he lean back in his chair, "Ishizu Ishtar, as I'm sure you know from your own visit to the museum, bought in that Egyptian exhibit to Domino showing the history of Duel monsters. With it she knew duelists of all kinds would want to see it. That many duelists in one area would defiantly draw some attention…" He looked to Yami already knowing he would know what he was talking about, "You know about the rare hunters?"

Yami nodded, "I do and she thinks they'll target Domino because of all the duelists." The rare hunters were some of the worst out there taking people's rare cards with ease. They weren't easily caught because they were duelists themselves and blended in so easily.

"I believe she simply wanted to warn me about them given some of the top players of the game live here." Seto completely lied through his teeth but Yami didn't look like he was noticing, "I figured what better way to make sure they are drawn here and out into the open is through a tournament. My duel disk were ready to launch anyway so it all worked out in the end."

"What you gotten catch them and turn them over to the police…" Yami was on the border line of not believing a word his brother was saying. Something still seemed off about the whole thing.

"No, turning them in with no evidence would be pointless. But making them go up against the best duelist around and defeating them some crushing blows would be a perfect first step at stopping them."

That still didn't seem like Seto at all but Yami let it slide for now. This was more information than he was hoping to get. Some of this was hopefully true… "I hope you know what you're doing, because you're putting a lot of duelist at risk. Including Yugi and Joey who will have to bet their own rare cards to be in this tournament…."

"And they are not weak duelist, have a little faith Yami. There's also still time for you to enter the tournament." Seto reminded his brother. In the back of his mind he was already thinking of ways to make it up to Joey. As soon as Yami mentioned his name he knew there was something he forgot to do the day before.

"I'm not one for big tournaments and you know it." Yami said as he stood up from his chair. This seemed a little too easy and he was sure there was more to the story however he got more then he thought he would. "Just let me know if you need any help for the tournament." He left without another word. There were never any plans to enter the tournament, but working behind the scenes could help him keep an eye on his brother, Yugi, and Joey during the event. If the thing about the rare hunters was true, Domino truly would become a battle field.

* * *

As promised once Yami returned home he, his partner, and Joey piled into one car and headed over to one of the specialty stores so Yugi and Joey could register for the tournament. The closest one was downtown on one of the main shopping streets leaving the three with a little bit of walking to do to get there. Of course a little fresh air never hurt anyone after the morning Yami had.

"It should be around here somewhere," Joey said as he looked around hoping they hadn't already gotten lost. He knew the area pretty well but never been to the card store they were going to. "This would be less of a pain if Seto just put us down on the list of duelist."

"He never makes anything easy even for the people he is close to," Yami said still a little miffed about his meeting with his brother.

Yugi could tell Yami was still upset and he pointed it out, "I thought he told you why he was holding the tournament. What more do you think there could be?"

Yami shrugged, "I don't know I just get the feeling he's hiding something from me mainly because of this new ante rule. That's not fair to make duelist bet up their rarest card that they may have taken forever to get."

Yugi reached into his deck box and pulled out his own deck. Right on top as always was the Dark Magician, the card that never let him down when he needed it. "I don't feel good about that rule either. It just means I'll have to fight harder not only for my title but to hold on to my cards as well." He looked toward his fiancé, "However I refuse to take a card from another player if I win. They may have to bet it but it doesn't mean I have to take it."

Yami smiled at that, "I can see why, your deck is the best the way it is because you picked the cards."

"Well mostly, a few are from my grandfather's old deck." Yugi admitted since his deck had started out as his grandfather's until Solomon gave it to him. He just worked with it over the years and changed it up to work better with his style.

"Hey you two I found it!" Joey shouted from up ahead pulling them from their conversation. The two quickly caught up with the blond who stood outside the store they were looking for. The three walked in together to find the place surprisingly empty except for the shopkeeper standing behind the counter.

"How may I help you find gentlemen this afternoon?" The shop keeper asked.

"We were told this was one of the stores that carried the new duel disks." Yugi replied hoping they had found the right place.

"You guys must be duelists entering tomorrow's tournament," He watched as Yugi and Joey nodded while Yami just hung out in the background. Checking behind him real quick the owner looked to see how many he had left. "I've been busy all day with customers like you and luckily it looks like I have five left." Turning back to them he went up to his computer, "Now these disks are only available for the time being to those who are going to be in the tournament. Now could you tell me your names?"

"Yugi Mutou…."

"Joey Wheeler…"

The owner typed in the first name and his eyes widen a little, "Wow this is excellent…"

"What do you mean?" Yugi wondered, he figured he was giving his name to register for the tournament.

"Oh… I'm looking you up in the duelist data base," The owner explained to the confused duelists, "Kaiba Corporation collected data on duelists across the country and sent it to card and hobby stores. Stuff like your type of deck, tournament records, duelist level and number of rare cards…" He turned the screen to where they could see it, "Yugi's duelist level is the highest at eight stars…."

Yugi almost couldn't believe it as he saw his picture along with his dark magician on the screen with a level of eight.

The owner turned the screen back and typed a few more things in before turning and grabbing a duel disk. He handed to Yugi and said, "Since you qualify for the tournament you get this duel disk free. Only duelists of level five or higher can enter the tournament and get these disks."

Joey and Yami were pretty surprised to hear that. So it seemed so long as you are a duelist for the tournament you don't have to buy a duel disk like others would when they become available to the public. However the level requirement meant that only high level duelist would be at Battle City.

Joey was curious to see what kind of rank he had according to Kaiba Corp. Sure he was dating the CEO but things were different for them on the dueling field. He was strong but still wasn't on the same level as Seto and Yugi yet. "What about my level?"

The shop owner typed in the name he had been given and his eyes widen for just a second when he got Joey's profile before it disappeared before they noticed. "Joey here has a level of five which is the lowest in the tournament but still able to register."

It wasn't something to be overly excited about in Joey's book but he would take it as a win. He took the duel disk that was handed to him as the owner signed him up for the tournament. After everything was squared away the three made their way out of the shop with duel disk in hand not even noticing as the shop keeper made a quick phone call.

* * *

The night before the big tournament was to start Joey cursed his luck as he left the restaurant he worked at. The sun had long since set and he was the last one besides the manger to leave. Since he was asking for time off to be in the tournament the manger saw fit to work Joey as much as he could before the blond took his vacation time for the tournament. Joey wanted to be able to put all his focus on Battle City then have to worry about getting to work and being in the tournament.

The parking lot was void of life and was partly dark due to a few street lights being out. But Joey made sure to have keys in hand as he walked to his truck at the back of the lot. However when he got closer to the vehicle he noticed something off and only when he got closer did he see what it was.

"Damn it!" Joey cursed out loud as he saw the two front flat tires. The back ones had been left alone but the front two were gone and he only had one spare tire. He kneeled down to get a better look and that was when he saw the knife marks meaning someone did it on purpose. "Who the hell would do this?" He wondered out loud pretty sure no one he knew at work would be this cruel.

Since the tires had been slashed, he quickly unlocked his truck and checked to make sure nothing had been taken. There was nothing of value in the vehicle besides his duel disk that he left in the back floor board under a blanket. He had been to Yugi's earlier that morning working on his deck and had come straight to work after leaving no time to take his disk home.

The duel disk was still inside the vehicle which left him to believe that maybe the person had slashed the tires on the wrong vehicle and this may have been meant for someone else. Either way he still had to pull out his phone and called Tristan to see if he could get a lift home.

Before he could hit the call button he heard footsteps causing him to look over his shoulder to see three cloaked figures coming his way. They stopped before him making so Joey couldn't run for it. Well Joey wasn't one to back down from a fight and he would fight his way out if he had to.

"Who are you guys?" Joey asked with a glare set on his face. Then a thought hit him and he added, "Are you the ones who did this to my truck?"

The one in front pushed part of his cloak aside revealing a duel disk on his arm, "Rare hunters is what we are called and Joey I challenge you to a duel right here, right now…"

Joey remembered hearing about these freaks from Yami. They stole rare cards from duelist and were supposed to be coming to Domino because of the tournament. Well if they were coming to steal his cards he wasn't going to let them. Grabbing his duel disk he placed it on his arm and put his deck in the slot. "I'll take you on! I'll take you down like the crooks you are!"

Not one to back down from a challenge Joey prepared himself for an easy duel as he and the rare hunter drew their cards. The hunter went first summoning Hannibal Necromancer in defense mode and then Joey summoned his panther warrior in attack mode. Panther Warrior attacked Hannibal Necromancer taking it out with ease.

"One swing's enough for that monster. How do you like that?" Joey laughed believing this duel was already in the bag.

The rare hunter drew one card before playing his next cards, "I'll play the spell card graceful charity," He drew three more cards and discarded two before summoning three headed geedo in defense mode.

"Trounce it, Panther Warrior," Joey called his monster to attack again. Two monsters down and the guy hadn't drawn anything good yet. "C'mon is that all you got?" If they were these so called rare hunters he would think they would put up more of a fight.

"On this turn I'll draw three and discard two using another graceful charity."

' _What is with this guy? All he does is change the cards in his hand_.' Joey thought wondering what was up. He watched as the rare hunter put yet another monster in defense mode. ' _Why won't that dumb chicken attack?'_

"I'm gonna play Red eyes black dragon!" Joey announced on his turn when he drew his favorite dragon. He would use the card they were mostly likely after against them. "Attack with Black Fire Bullet!"

"Is that your rarest card? Your arm must be heavy with burden but don't worry I'll lighten it soon…" The rare hunter said as he drew another card and then got this creepy smirk on his face. "I win…Behold Exodia!"

It was right before Joey's eyes as he got to witness a creature he had only seen Yami summon once. The rare hunter played down all five cards unleashing the Forbidden one as if it was child's play and it only took him a few short turns.

' _Wh-What? Exodia? That can't be! He gathered all five pieces in his hand!_ ' Joey watched in disbelief as Exodia wiped him out in one turn.

"We ghouls are master counterfeiters. We can even duplicate the pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One… I have three of each of Exodia's parts cards in my deck. No duelist can beat me." The rare hunter felt the need to tell Joey distracting him as the other two moved up behind Joey without him realizing it.

Joey growled balling his fist, "Why you dirty-!"

The sentence died in Joey's throat as he was clocked over the head with something and he started to see black dots in his vision. He fell to the ground and didn't even have the strength to stop them as they stole his red eyes black dragon and walked away disappearing as if they were never there. Joey could only rest there on the ground trying to get his bearings back. However he swore right there on the ground that it was not over by a long shot, Joey would have his revenge and get his red eyes back from this freaks in cloaks.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Battle City starts next chapter! I almost wasn't going to add the tiny duel with Joey and the rare hunter but I thought it fit and it's a big part of Battle City. Also I hope everyone noticed Seto is purposely not telling Yami about the god cards. He doesn't want anyone else to know about them as he tries to hunt them down during the tournament. Although Yami's not stupid and knows there something else going on.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Sorry about last week, I was going through a lot and working lots of hours that there was no time for me to get on the computer at all. Things are still a little hectic but I made some time to be able to post this. I'm a little bum out that I got no reviews for the last chapter when normally I get at least one. I'm a little curious if anyone is still reading this story at all. No one has to leave a review for all the chapters but if anyone out there reading this would just drop a little note or something to let me know someone is reading this I'll continue to post. I love writing this but if no one is reading well I could move on to something else.

Another little added note, as mentioned before I'm working a lot of hours because I have a full time job now instead of part time. More hours at work means less hours at home. Sucks, but gotta work for a living to make some money to pay bills. So just a little heads up that some weeks I may not be able to update. I'll try to update every week but at this pace and with Christmas coming up that probably won't happen. But thank you to those that still read and enjoy this story and without any more delay here is the next chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Battle City Begins**

The sun rose as it did any other day but today was different. Normally it took a couple times for Yugi to hit the snooze button before he would force himself out of bed or for Yami to wake him up. However that morning Yugi was already up before his alarm could even wake him up. He took a shower, got dressed, took care of his puppies, and made breakfast while Yami still slept soundly.

It was while he was finishing up breakfast that he heard footsteps behind him. Yami drifted into the room yawning as he tried to wake up. He sat himself at the small island in the middle of the room watching as Yugi put a plate of food in front of him.

"Coffee..?" Yugi asked while he made himself some juice. At the nod he got from the other he poured his partner a cup of coffee that he already had brewing. It was funny how he always thought older people drank such strong stuff, but Yami disproved that never going a morning without a cup.

"How long have you been up?" Yami asked as he took the cup that was given to him. Blowing on his drink before taking a sip, once he got coffee in his system he would be more awake.

Yugi took up the spot beside Yami with his own plate. "Not long, got a shower in before letting the dogs out back. Then figured I'd make you breakfast for once."

Yami chuckled, "I'm surprised you slept any at all. The tournament must have you really excited?" He guessed since it took forever for Yugi to settle down the night before. His little duelist kept stressing over his deck and wanting to make sure he got up in time so he wasn't late.

Yugi blushed a little as he thought back to the night before. Hell Yami was out before ten but Yugi had laid awake not being able to sleep. It was amazing he felt so awake that morning. "Hopefully it will pass after today."

"Well theirs no rule saying you can't come home and take a nap," Yami said trying to hold back another yawn.

"Are you sure you got some sleep?" Yugi wondered because Yami still looked like he needed it.

Yami nodded as he picked at his food, "I think my body is still tired from yesterday. Everything has to be perfect for my brother's precious tournament." The last part he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Aw did Seto work my baby too hard," Yugi grinned as he lean over and kissed Yami's cheek. "Well I'll just have to keep you all to myself today and keep the big bad CEO away."

"Is that all I get?" Yami wondered with a smirk as he swooped in before Yugi could move away and stole a kiss on the lips. They were only forced to break away when Shadow ran into the room with Yuki chasing him and they nearly knocked their owners off the stools.

Yami growled as he looked toward the two who had went straight toward their food bowls which Yugi had already filled. "What have I told you about running in the house?" He scowled them like they were children.

"Honey their puppies with a lot of energy…" Yugi reminded his partner as he went back to his meal.

"I know but sometimes I think they have too much energy."

Yugi smiled as he shook his head and looked at his watch. They would need to finish eating soon so Yami could get his shower before they were late for the opening ceremony. He couldn't wait to see how this tournament turned out compare to the other one he had been in. Plus there would be duelist that he knew competing and a small part of him wanted to show off to Yami. His fiancé had never seen him duel in a major tournament before and it would be different than their friendly duels with friends. And speaking of his friends he hoped Joey was doing okay that morning and he would see him and their other friends at the opening ceremony.

* * *

Domino City Plaza was packed with duelists as all had gathered for the beginning of the tournament. Yugi and Yami made it with thirty minutes to spare and stood in the meeting spot they were supposed to meet Joey at. Before the tournament began they wanted to get together, but it looked like the blond had not showed up yet. Their friends not in the tournament said they would find them and join them later in the day, which turned out to be good with the large turnout.

Yugi looked at his watch at the time, "Joey's late…" He announced worried that Joey would miss out. As far as he knew it would be fine to miss the opening ceremony.

"Probably on his way, he was just as excited about this as you." Yami reminded him.

As they were standing around they heard a familiar voice and turned to see Mai walking up to them. She smiled at them and waved before looking up at the clock in the middle of the plaza. "It's almost time…" She looked around as if looking for someone and then looked to Yugi, "By the way… Isn't Joey entering this tournament?"

Yugi nodded, "He should be here any minute."

"Nice to know he made the cut. It's been awhile since I've seen the big dork." She said knowing after duelist kingdom that there was no way Joey would miss out on another tournament. Her attention then turned to Yami as she asked, "So is your brother going to be fashionable late to explain the rules?"

Yami shrugged, "Beats me…" He looked down at the badge that was around his neck. Of course he already knew the rules since his brother hired only him and their younger brother to walk around the city during the tournament to make sure people were following the rules. Then there were people at Kaiba Corp keeping up to make sure no one played illegal cards. This place was huge and it would be hard to keep up with everyone, but Yami figured his brother gave him the job because he knew he would be following Yugi around and it would give him something to do.

While they were all enjoying a pleasant conversation together it was quickly interrupted by two other duelists. Yami didn't know them but they seemed to know Yugi and Mai.

"Long time no see…" One of the duelists spoke sounding very bitter. He looked to be in his teens with long brown hair and bangs dyed purple covered up by a red hat. Looked nothing but a trouble maker while the other looked like a nerd with his weird bowl shaped light green hair and big rimmed glasses.

"Wow Rex and Weevil…"Mai said sounding a little surprised to see them.

"Listen you two!" Rex shouted pointing his finger at Mai, "You're gonna pay for what you did on the island!"

Weevil just had a smirk on his face as he announced. "If you think I'll be as easy as before you are sorely mistaken… My new insect deck is many times more powerful."

Yami looked to Yugi for answers while his partner just shook his head with a sigh.

"Insect deck…?" Another laughed soon joining the group. He was dressed like a fisherman and even smelled a little fishy. "Wait'll you see my deck! My fortress whale will swallow you in one gulp!"

That caused Rex and Weevil to turn to the new arrival and that quickly turned into a shouting match of who had the better deck. Mai turned from the big idiots and wrapped her arms around Yugi and Yami's shoulders leading them away.

"I'm already tired of these guys…."

"I guess it's no surprise they would be here." Yugi noted and then quickly explained to Yami. "That was Rex, Weevil and the other guy that just showed up was Mako. They were all duelist in duelist kingdom that me, Mai, and Joey beat."

Well that explained a lot for Yami as there were some duelists out there that could not let go of a lost. He had a feeling they would be seeing them again. It was very different being around a real tournament then just seeing it on TV. It was like seeing what happens behind the scenes with the duelists.

Speaking of TV, the large screen built into one of the large buildings in the plaza turned on and Seto Kaiba's face was displayed on it. Leave it to Seto to pull something like that to make sure he had everyone's attention. "My fellow duelists… Welcome to Battle City!" He announced causing all eyes to turn his way. "I will now explain the rules of the match. The participants gathered here today have been acknowledged by Kaiba Corporation as being level five or higher. The duel disks on your arms are proof of that."

Looking around them Yami could see everyone there had a duel disk and if they didn't they probably were completely confused about what was going on or just wanting to see how the tournament would play out. It was definitely going to get interesting when the duels started.

"The stage of this tournament is the entire town of Domino City. I have spoken to the civic authorities. No matter where you are within Domino City… If two duelists come face to face you may fight." Seto continued to explain how all of it would work. "Each duelist will use a forty card deck. All matches will be played by ante rules with the loser surrendering the rare card of the winner's choice. As you win your deck will become stronger and stronger… But if you lose, it will be hard to catch up."

"Things are about to get cut throat around here…" Mai mentioned to which both Yami and Yugi could agree.

Of course Seto was not done just yet as he went on to mention something very important. "According to the reports there are forty eight duelists but only eight will make it to the finals." It certainly did not look like there were forty eight duelists more like a hundred with the turn out. And there were all kind of murmurs going about learning there would only be eight finalists. "As for the location of the finals it's a secret but it's somewhere within city limits. I too intend to duel under the same conditions as the rest of you. Therefore in the interest of fairness, not even I know where the finals will be held."

That sent the crowd into a state of confusion wondering how the hell they were supposed to find it when not even the person running the tournament would know the location. Both Mai and Yugi looked to Yami who shook his head to tell them that Seto did not tell him either. Not that Yami would give it away anyway if his brother somehow let him know of the location.

Thankfully Seto did not leave the crowd hanging for long as he showed his own duel disk, "Look at the duel disks on your arms. On the back you will find a transparent plate."

Now that he said it everyone was doing it and to all their shock there was a transparent plate the size of a duel monsters card. It was crazy how no one had noticed it before and upon a closer look on the transparent plate was part of a map in the shape of a tiny puzzle piece.

"That plate is a puzzle card. When all the puzzle cards from the forty eight duelists are stacked together, a map of domino city will be revealed. The puzzle cards have a special prismatic coating. If you stack any six of them a light will shine in a certain spot on the plate. That spot is the location of the finals! When you win a duel your opponents puzzle cards become yours. Only those who collect six puzzle cards can reach the unknown location of the finals!" Seto finished with the explanation but he still had a few more parting words.

"The tournament will begin at nine o'clock! Duelists scatter across Battle City!" With those words the screen went black and duelists did just as Seto said as they started to set off into the city.

Mai gave Yugi one more hug saying, "All right Yugi, next time I see you it's on…" She waved bye to the both of them before she was gone before the tournament began which was only five minutes away.

As the crowd around them thinned out Yugi looked at his watch and was really starting to get worried, "Where is Joey? You don't think he decided to back out do you?"

"I highly doubt that…" Yami's sentence died off as he looked up just in time to see a certain blond brush passed some people headed straight for a café across the way. "Hey I see him."

Yugi looked the way Yami was pointing and sure enough it was Joey. "I wonder where he was this whole time."

Yami grabbed Yugi's hand leading the way, "Only one way to find out."

When they got to their friend they found him having some kind of argument with a guy sitting at one of the tables outside the café. "I've been looking all over for you! You can disappear but you can't hide your snakelike eyes!" Joey growled out looking like he wanted to punch the guy.

The guy only smirked over his cup of coffee. "You have no rare cards… doesn't that mean you can't enter the tournament."

"That's cause you stole my card you jerk!"

"Joey what happened?" Yugi asked as they got to him at the tail end of the conversation.

Joey put out an arm to keep Yugi back away from the creep in front of them, "Be on your guard Yugi. This is one of those sleazy rare hunters that entered the tournament."

Yami looked toward the guy who looked like a normal guy having a cup of coffee, but those rare hunters sure could blend in if he was one of them. It was just a surprise to find out they really were here and his brother had been right.

Yugi seemed to put the conversation and the thing with rare hunters together. He looked up at Joey in shock, "You don't mean… They took your rare card?" The tournament hadn't even started yet he wasn't sure how that could have happened.

"Just don't fight them." Joey tried to warn his friend. They played dirty and he didn't want to see anyone he knew getting hurt.

However Yugi wasn't listening. He hated people like the rare hunters who did not understand how much hard work some players went to find their cards. Every card in a duelist's deck was one they picked out and should be cherished. He wasn't going to stand for it. "Anyone who steals a duelist's precious personal card will have to answer to me."

The rare hunter closed the laptop he had open and stood up. "Does that mean you want to duel me?"

He had this creepy look in his eye that Yami didn't like. He understood where Yugi was coming from but to fight a rare hunter at the start of the tournament. "Are you sure about this?" He asked Yugi as his partner got his duel disk and deck ready.

"Yeah I am…" Yugi looked to Joey with a smile. "I'll get your card back."

This wasn't what Joey wanted at all when he went to confront this guy after tracing him down. He didn't want Yugi facing such a creep. "Yugi wait…"

But Yugi would hear none of it as he stepped forward with his duel disk ready. "Garage like you is a disgrace to the city. Feeding off the sweat of honest gamers and publishers…. It makes me sick." He would get Joey's card back and teach the rare hunters a lesson about messing with a real duelist.

"Challenging me to a duel… You're very brave…" The rare hunter laughed as he towered over them, "Fine… I accept! We rare hunters will be taking this tournament and all its rare cards."

Joey couldn't let Yugi go through with this, "Yugi I gotta tell you—"

"Quiet Joey, I'll get your red-eyes back." Yugi interrupted his friend as he looked toward him, "We're entering this tournament together."

' _But he's not somebody you can just beat like that. The rare hunters have got all kinds of rare cards… Real and bootleg… They've got the greatest decks in the world.'_ Joey thought as he knew Yugi was good, but rare hunters played dirty. He never got a chance to tell Yugi about what happened the night before wanting to confront the guy on his own and get his card back. No matter what he had to warn his friend before Yugi got in over his head, "Just lemme warn you! His deck is—"

Yugi held up his hand forcing Joey to go quiet, "Don't finish that thought Joey. No matter what kind of dirty tricks this rare hunter has hidden up his sleeve… I have no right to know the enemy's strategy before a game. That would give me an unfair advantage." He placed his dueling deck in the duel disk ready to face down in his first duel of the tournament.

"I admire your fighting spirit but I'm going to teach you that it takes more than that to win a duel." The guy said with the biggest smirk as both he and Yugi moved the distance away they would need for their duel.

As they prepared the start of the time for the tournament started to count down and along with it was the fast spreading word of the duel. Duelist who hadn't yet left the plaza heard the exchange and saw the duelist getting ready and it wasn't long before other people started to gather around them. It would be the first duel of the tournament and no one wanted to miss it especially when people realized the King of Games was one of the duelists.

As soon as nine o'clock hit on the dot both duelists drew their cards and made their first moves. Yugi went first placing one card face down while playing Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode. With the new holographic technology from Kaiba Corp it was amazing to see duelist bringing the monsters to life anywhere they wanted. True they were still only holograms but they still looked so realistic to those watching.

When Yugi's turn ended the rare hunter went drawing a card and looked pleased with what he got. "I lay the spell card graceful charity!" He announced as he played the card drawing three new ones and discarding two.

Joey watched the move with a growl as this was the same way it started out with him. Yami could feel how tense his friend had gotten so he asked, "You know something is up…"

"This is the same way it started with me," Joey told him as he watched the duel. "Right before he stomped me in a few short turns and stole my red eyes…"

Yami knew Joey was no push over duelist as he had seen himself that he had grown. He wasn't easy to beat for others unless the duelist was Yugi or Seto. There had to be some kind of strategy this guy had and being a rare hunter he most likely played dirty. However if he were to ask Joey what had happened to get to the bottom of it Yugi could hear and he had said he didn't want to know. So it left Yami to silently try and figure out on his own what this guy was planning.

Before the rare hunter ended his turn he summoned Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense mode to protect his life points from Yugi's monster. This left Yugi having to think about his next move carefully so he could learn what the rare hunter could be planning.

' _A wall monster with two thousand defense points… seems like a 'turtle' style player… to hurt him I've got to get through his defenses…'_ Yugi thought as he drew his next card and started his turn off by summoning Baphomet the Demon. "And it's time to flip my face down card…" He announced causing the card to turn over to reveal… "I use polymerization to fuse my two monsters into Two-headed Eagle Winged Chimera! Now according to super expert rules I can't attack on the same turn that my creature is polymerized but on my next turn my Chimera will destroy your monster."

' _Keep talking to the wall…'_ The hunter laughed in his head as he took his own turn. He looked not in the least bit worried about how this duel would turn out as he got another card he needed, "Once more Graceful Charity!" He took three more cards and discarded two. Looking at his hand now he seemed even more pleased with the turn out.

Yugi watched as the guy changed his hand again wondering why he would pull another move like that. All while Joey was stressing on the side lines wanting to warn Yugi about what he would be facing soon. Sure Yugi used to have Exodia in his deck but that didn't mean he had any cards that could beat it. He didn't want to see his buddy lose on his first duel of the tournament.

"Well then it's my end phrase… time to play another monster." The rare hunter said as he played Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in defense mode.

' _Another wall monster with high defense….'_ Yugi noted and this caused him to have to pause for a second to figure this out. There had to be a reason behind the moves this hunter was making. ' _What's going on? It's like he's not trying to attack at all… He's concentrating totally on defense. He'll never even scratch my life points this way. Then how will he beat me by shuffling his hand….?'_ He actually took a peak over at the two standing by him and he could see Joey stressing while Yami looked calm. Something he nearly forgot about seemed to hit him the moment he looked at Yami. There could only be one monster out there that would make a player want to go through the cards in there deck quick to get a hold of. One monster he had only know Yami to have summoned with easy due to the heart of the cards.

The smaller duelist developed a smirk of his own as he looked at the rare hunter, "Rare hunter I know what you're planning!"

The hunter actually looked taken back for a second before he quickly recovered and stated, "You lie! You're bluffing. There's no way you can…"

"I won't let you summon Exodia!"

The rare hunter froze in place shock written all over his face as he nervously said, "Yes. But what can you possibly do on your next turn…?"

Yugi held up one card from his hand but not showing what it was as he replied, "I'll crush Exodia with this card."

Now things had certainly gotten more interesting but what had Yami's attention was the sigh of relief from Joey beside him. He looked to the blond and asked, "You were so worried about that?"

Joey turned wide eyes to Yami, "Who wouldn't be worried about facing a monster that has yet to be beaten. I have not met one person who could beat Exodia. The sooner Yugi knew about this guy's cheap tricks the better his strategy to beat it would be."

"You have a point since Exodia can only be summoned with all five cards and judging by the look on Yugi's face he already has that card." Yami noted since Yugi did not look nervous as some other players might have been. Yugi was in complete duelist mode and he was a fierce player. That was one of the reasons he didn't let Joey tell him about Exodia beforehand. Focusing back on the field even he was curious to see how Yugi would go about this.

Of course even now that everyone knew about the rare hunter's plan he quickly covered up his nervousness about what card Yugi may or may not have as he focused on his own hand. _'Sure he guessed my strategy, however I already have four of the five pieces and the next card I draw will be the fifth and final piece I need.'_ The others around him did not know that he could see what cards he would draw thanks to special contact lenses and ink on the cards. There was nothing Yugi could do in one turn to stop Exodia from being summoned.

When it was Yugi's turn again he drew a card and got one that would work out well for him. ' _Chain Destruction… If I play this trap card I won't be able to play a monster this turn….It's a risk but he must already have most of the Exodia cards by now. I have to play it this turn.'_ His cards had never failed him yet so he went onward and placed the card face down on the field and sent his Chimera in for the attack to destroy the Stone Statue.

Just as they all could see the attack and destruction of one of his monsters did not faze the rare hunter as he simply waited for Yugi to end his turn. Yugi wasn't done yet as he used his end phase to place one more card face down before ending his turn.

As soon as he did the hunter started laughing like a mad man as he stated, "Now it's my turn."

' _The card I just played face down will only work at just the right phase of his turn… It's all over if I miss that window_ …' Yugi had played it all out in his head knowing just what he needed to do to stop Exodia. He carefully watched the rare hunter waiting for the right moment to active his card.

It was just as the rare hunter went to draw his next card that Yugi quickly stopped him, "Before you draw I active my spell card!" The rare hunter could only stare wide eyed as Yugi revealed life force sword as his face down card.

"This spell card will take one of the cards in your hand and force it onto the field." Yugi explained however it was a gamble because the affects for it were random and if an Exodia card wasn't picked he might just lose. So he could only watch as the sword came to life above the rare hunter before stabbing through one of the cards bringing the hologram of one of Exodia's arms to life on the field.

However Yugi wasn't done yet leaving the now stressing rare hunter into an even more panicked state. He proudly announced his next face down card, "In addition when Exodia's right hand touches the field it activities my trap card." The card turned over to reveal Chain destruction and he went on to explain, "This trap not only destroys a monster on the field, it wipes out all duplicates cards in your hand and deck. Exodia will never awaken!"

It was in that single turn and that spell-trap combo that Yugi won just like that without even losing one life point. The rare hunter's deck was dead without Exodia as would any other deck that simply relied on the Forbidden one to win for them.

"But that can't be…." The rare hunter muttered even as the crowd around them started to leave now that the duel was over. Other duelist were ready to go find some opponents after witness the King of Games crush that guy like it was nothing. Although the rare hunter was clearly taking it extremely hard as he all of a sudden started screaming and yelling over and over to help him and that someone was coming.

"What's happening to him?" Joey wondered as he and Yami approached Yugi as they watched the guy having some kind of attack. On his forehead the same millennium eye that was on all the millennium items started to appear confusing the three in front of him. "You're not doing that are you?" He asked just to be sure from Yugi and Yami who shook their heads. He'd been around some weird stuff but this was the weirdest so far.

Within another second the guy went completely limb and the light in his eyes was gone as he stared at them. Then as if someone was using him as a puppet his mouth began to move as he spoke, " _Are you…. Yugi? I've heard of you…"_ His voice and manner was that of someone completely different.

" _The man you just faced was the weakest of the rare hunters. The real strength of the rare hunters is much greater._ " The person explained before the tone changed as if he just realized something, " _Oh I don't' mean to surprise you. The person talking to you now isn't this shell you see before you. I'm in a place a bit farther away. I've implanted a bit of myself in him, so I can control him whenever I want. He does whatever I desire…."_

Yugi had seen something simpler to this before when Shadi had taken over Duke and his Grandfather's friend. However this was even more different as this was full on mind control not just turning him into a zombie. It creeped him out as someone they didn't know could see them and do something like this. It was making him wonder what kind of twisted hunters were these in this tournament. That is unless…

"Who are you?" Yami demanded, something did not sit right with him and it was the same with the pharaoh as could feel him listening in.

" _This was just an introduction. Like you, I am one who has been chosen by the millennium items… My name is Marik. Remember that!"_

* * *

 **Sakura:** And we are done with another chapter… There will be a little more into Marik in the next chapter but not much because he's not in Domino yet. Also we still have more characters to bring back in along with seeing Joey's first duel in the tournament.

 **Yumi: Please Review! (Don't have to but would love to hear from the readers to know some people are still reading this story)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Thank you so much to those that reviewed last chapter. It appears I had nothing to worry about as there are still plenty of people reading this story. The reviews helped make me feel so much better. I worked extra hard to get this chapter ready for this week so please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Psycho Deck**

The three stood in front of the mind controlled ghoul watching him carefully to see what the master of this puppet would do. He had introduced himself as Marik and one of the final holders of a millennium item. But they had no idea what item he held since there were two that Yugi and Yami had yet to see. There was no telling what power either item had but the one Marik had did show to have the power of mind control.

"Yugi his voice is totally different. It's like somebody else took over his body and is talking through him like a microphone." Joey stated still not used to all this strange happenings with magic. He had thought this tournament would be simple with only some thugs called ghouls to deal with. However it appeared these rare hunters had some kind of twisted leader behind them.

" _That's right. It's not this man that you hear... taking over a person's mind and controlling their speech and actions as if they were my own. That is the power of the millennium rod."_ Marik explained to them sounding rather smug with himself.

' _This Marik must be the enemy Ishizu mentioned… the man with the seventh millennium item…'_ Yami said through their link to the pharaoh who he could feel was in agreement.

' _Be very careful Yami, with his powers of mind control our true enemy could be closer than we think.'_

Yami was sure he was right and that's why he kept Yugi partly behind him. Because he had no clue what this Marik was capable of or whether or not he could try and take over one of their minds. He had no plans for him, Yugi, or any of their friends to become someone's mindless puppet.

" _If I must I can step in and personally control all of the rare hunters in Domino City… But they are elite duelist with overwhelming skills, so I doubt I'll have to…"_ The rare hunter's eyes were only glues onto that of Yugi who normally was not scared of other duelists but this one gave him the creeps.

The overwhelming power to protect kept Yami on edge just thinking of what kind of challenge Marik was issuing his partner. Yugi was the only duelist in this tournament that he knew of that held a millennium item besides Marik himself. And most that he knew with a millennium item were always after another one or wanting to test its power like with Shadi and Bakura. If they were after not only rare cards but the millennium puzzle as well would make Yugi an even bigger target. He felt like there was more to this and he wanted answers.

"Marik!" Yami shouted gaining the attention back onto him, "Why are you really in this tournament? Why are the ghouls here?"

Marik chuckled as he replied, " _To gather the God cards. The three ancient cards resurrected in the modern world. According to the ancient Egyptians three stone slabs were said to possess the ultimate power. The one who gathers all three and takes the title of king will be granted the power of darkness."_

Yugi reached out and touched Yami's arm gaining his attention, "You don't think this is what Ishizu was talking about do you?"

Yami was sure that could be it but he said nothing about it as he continued to listen as Marik spoke again.

" _We ghouls have two of the cards already. The one remaining card is in the hands of someone in this town…"_

"You'd think if someone had that card in our town it would be known about." Joey mentioned since their small city wasn't that big and gossip moved like a rapid fire through it. That is unless who ever had it had only come to town recently which was a lot of duelists.

While the three pondered who could have the final card, Marik used his powers to cause the hunter to reach into his deck for something. " _Yugi… you just fought the weakest of the ghouls. You were lucky not to face someone stronger. But as long as he lost I will abide by the rules and return the card he stole from your friend and the puzzle cards as well."_ The puppet reached out to hand both to Yugi, but it was Yami who snatched them up before giving them to his partner. Marik was unfazed by the act as he continued " _The game has just begun. A rare hunter with a god card is already lurking in your town. If you meet him even with your skills… it'll be instant death!"_

These guys may creep him out but Yugi was the protector of the millennium puzzle and swore to help the once pharaoh find his memories. He would not back down from a challenge, "We'll see about that." He bravely told the other moving to stand beside Yami, "I'm going to put an end to your plan. We have our own goals to reach so you can't stop me. I will defeat you Marik."

" _I look forward to it Yugi."_ Those were his parting words as the guy dropped face first to the ground being released from Marik's control.

Joey took a brave step forward to nudge the guy and check for sure, before stating, "He's out cold." He turned to his two friends, "The power to control people… This guy Marik is tough."

"And it's even worst that we don't know where he is." Yami added in before he looked to his partner. "I don't like it that we have an enemy that we can't see."

Yugi could agree however… "I can't back out Yami. It's not just because of my title, but we have to help the pharaoh anyway we can. We promised him and besides we've been through so much already." He knew the hidden meaning behind Yami's words. It wasn't just about that they couldn't see Marik, but it was also the challenge he issued Yugi. Because he chose to show himself to them meant he was aiming at them for a reason.

Yami sighed, "I know but I still don't like it. Especially when it involves another millennium item…."

"But I won't be alone," Yugi reminded Yami with a smile, before he remembered the card in his hand. Turning to their silent friend Yugi approached him and handed out the Dragon for him to take.

At first Joey looked at the card, before he closed his eyes and turned his head away, "Sorry Yugi, I can't take it." Yugi and Yami were taken aback at the move however Joey did have his reasons as he told them, "If I take that card I feel like I'll just get farther from being the true duelist I'm trying to become. That red eyes black dragon means more to me than any card in the world. It's been my fighting partner for ages. But I've leaned on it for too long. If I accept that card I won't grow as a fighter. Not just that… the way I am right now the card won't want me to have it. So for now I'll leave that card with you."

Yugi watched as Joey pulled out his deck searching for another card, "I put together a new forty card deck for today's tournament. I still have the right to participate with my see through puzzle card…" He found the card he was looking for and showed Yugi, "And for my ante I've got time wizard. The rare card you gave me back in Duelist Kingdom. It will be with these cards that I'm gonna be a true duelist in battle city. And I hope that if I do all right in the tournament and the time comes where I can call myself a duelist, that you'll fight me."

Sure they had had their friendly duels before but this was different. Yugi knew it as a smile lit up his face. "Yes when that time comes I will fight you."

That put them all in better spirits after the little episode with the rare hunter and Marik. Joey was pumped and ready to find his first duelist to fight, biding his friend bye until they met again. Yugi and Yami watched him go wishing him luck in the tournament.

Looking down at the red eyes black dragon, Yugi knew one day Joey would get it back before putting it up in his deck box. It may not be in this tournament but at some point in time he would face Joey duelist to duelist.

"He'll do fine so long as he doesn't run into his boyfriend."

"Yami!" Yugi scowled his own lover grabbing his hand and pulling him along. He wasn't worried about Joey since his friend could hold his own. No the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was find some food. That duel made him hungry and for that last remark Yami would be paying.

* * *

Thirty minutes into the battle city tournament duels were happening all across Domino City. However as Joey wondered the streets he had not found one duelist who he wanted to go up against. The low level players would be too boring and he was kind of hoping to run into some familiar faces from Duelist Kingdom. Yugi had let him know of all kind of people who were in the tournament from back in those days and those were the ones he would not mind facing again. Including that idiot Rex, who Joey got the Red Eyes Black Dragon from….

Just as he was thinking that, he happened across another duel going on as he turned down one of the streets. Moving forward he was a little curious to see who was playing and if it was anyone he knew. After squeezing though some of the watchers he was surprised to see just the duelist he was thinking about. Rex was up against someone Joey didn't know and was delivered the final blow as the other guy took out the last bit of Rex's life points.

Rex cursed his luck as he was forced to hand over his rarest card and his puzzle card. All around people kept talking about the duel and Joey listened as they mentioned that Rex hadn't even been able to touch the other duelist life points. Esper Roba, Joey believed he heard was the other guy's name and he sounded like a strong player. The kid across from Rex had blue hair in a bob cut wearing a pink shirt with black stripes and blue jeans. He looked like he might only be in high school, but Joey wasn't one to judge because Yugi even looked like he could still be in middle school.

Once Esper Roba had his prize he turned to the crowd and shouted, "Now… Who will be next to fight me?"

A lot of the duelists in the crowd started to look extremely nervous and backed away. Rex turned nearly running into Joey. His mood changed as he noticed that Joey wasn't backing off in fear like the rest of them. "Don't even think about it Wheeler…" He warned the blond when he noticed Joey had a duel disk also. He was good, but it seemed no one could beat Esper Roba. "He can predict people's strategies. If he can beat me, you don't stand a chance."

"You mean it? You really think I can't beat him?"

"Yeah, no way!"

"Then I will!" Joey spoke up loud enough for Roba to hear and cause Rex to bow his head in shame. But what Rex didn't understand was Joey wanted to become a better duelist and the only way to do that was to go up against some of the toughest opponents. He would not pass up on an opponent no matter what.

Esper Roba watched as the only brave duelist stepped forward, "And who are you?"

"Joey Wheeler's the name and I don't care if you've got ESP! I'll take you on!"

His opponent wasn't fazed by the name as some who had heard about Joey since he came in second at Duelist Kingdom. There was still that level of not being known that hung over Joey's head and he was determined to change that. However showing no interest at all who he was facing Roba pulled out a card from his deck, "Before we duel let's confirm each other's ante. Mine is the rare card Jinzo the Psycho Shocker and of course a puzzle card."

"Mine's the Time Wizard," Joey confirmed showing off his last rare card, "And I got a puzzle card just like you."

"Roger that, let's start the duel shall we?"

As the two shuffled their decks before placing them in their duel disk, a certain duelist who had stuck around to see Joey get his ass kicked decided to speak up, "Hey Joey! What'd you do with my Red Eyes Black Dragon?"

"Oh you mean MY Dragon," Joey reminded Rex turning to look at him, "Somebody stole it 'cuz I screwed up. But I got it back from the guy who stole it but somebody else is holding onto it for me." It was kind of funny to watch the look of utter shock come over Rex as he heard that news, like the card was still his or something.

Now hearing that his card was no longer in Joey's deck, Rex had even more little faith in him, "Give it up loser. You can't beat Roba. It was just luck that you beat me."

Joey on the other hand didn't think so as he faced his opponent with a look of complete determination. No matter what anyone else said did not matter. They both drew five cards with Joey taking his turn first. Looking at his hand Joey was pleased with the draw.

Although before he could take his turn, he looked up when Roba started to hum and placed two fingers on either side of his head, then completely out of nowhere he stated, "I feel the energy of the cosmos passing through my body… becoming one with me. At this time at this place I will win this duel! It is destiny the law of the cosmos."

' _This guy is nuts!'_ were Joey's only thoughts as the guy kept chanting that he would win. This was even freakier then the freaks in robes he had already been dealing with. Wanting to get the little creep to stop Joey placed down his first monster Giltia the D. Knight.

At that point Roba threw out his hand toward Joey's monster and before it could even appear out of its card, the hologram disappeared in a stream of smoke. This caused Joey to nearly flip out wondering what in the world had that guy just done to his monster without even waiting his turn.

The answer came pretty quick as Rex and the crowd around Joey started to bust out laughing at Joey's move. Joey leveled a glare at Rex showing that what just happened was not funny.

Drawing in short deep breath to calm down, Rex wiped a tear from his eye. "Are you brain-dead or what? That wasn't ESP, it was the card you played." He filled the clueless blond in knowing this duel would mostly likely be shorter than his own against Roba. As Joey looked at the card, Rex filled him in, "You can't play a level six monster card right off the bat. You have to sacrifice a lower level monster to summon it. Those are the new rules, don't you know anything moron?"

Joey cursed his luck as he placed the card in the graveyard. His mind had been a big mess since that morning since waking up after what happened the night before. He had been over these new rules a bunch of time with Yugi, but of course when it mattered he forgot them. He was so used to the old ways and was really glad none of his friends were here to see that. Hell he was even more glad his own boyfriend wasn't there to see his epic fail. Seto would probably never let him live it down.

"You wasted a turn…" Roba informed him as he placed his fingers back on his forehead. "If I may give you a word of advice. The card on the very left of your hand is Swordsman of Landstar… why don't you play it?"

Joey actually had to look down and his eyes widen when he saw Roba was right. ' _He guessed my hand right on the nail!'_

"It's telepathy… my mind is one with the cosmos. I have achieved a state of absolute enlightenment. My awareness transcends time and space. You and I are made of the same particles Joey. I am you and I am your cards." Roba stated trying to freak Joey out even more as he placed one of his own monsters on the field. "I summon Cyber Raider and with no monsters on your side, he'll attack your life points directly!"

Cyber Raider went right at Joey delivering a blow to Joey causing the blond to take a step back. Even though it was just a hologram it had the same feeling as if being hit by a real person. Though the pain only lasted for a second with no lasting effect on the player. Joey's life points dropped down from four thousand to twenty six hundred in one turn.

Roba finished his turn, leaving Joey to start his by drawing a card. ' _Under super expert rules if there are no monsters on their field you can straight up attack the other player…'_ Joey thought already hating the new rules. Kind of made him miss the times when you could only attack if the player had a monster on the field. There were much faster ways to lose now and he would have to think carefully about his moves.

Taking a peak at what he drew Joey saw it was graceful dice and thus that gave him two dice cards in his hand. He placed it in front of the other dice card he had as he tried to figure out what was the best way to go at this nut job.

"Channeling… Channeling…"

"Stop it you nut job!" Joey shouted trying to concentrate, but this little brat wouldn't keep quiet.

Roba smirked as he looked at Joey, "You drew a second graceful dice didn't you? That's what my telepathy detected." To which Joey developed a look of shock on his face at having another card been predicted in this duel. "Does it shock you? My telepathic ability was a gift from the cosmos. Right now I'm communicating with the spirits. That's how I know your hand."

ESP or not, Joey could not afford to lose this duel as he got his best poker face back on and looked at his hand. ' _I don't know if its ESP or talking to ghosts or what… but one things for sure he can tell what cards I have…'_ As he tried to figure out what he could do he realized something he hadn't noticed before. He recalled what Esper Roba said about him having a second graceful dice card but he knew for a fact he only had one in his deck. However in his hand…Realization hit Joey as he placed his Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode. ' _Even if ESP is real… I think there's one thing he can't read!'_

"And then I play two face-down cards and end my turn." Joey announced hoping that his theory was right.

Roba did not look worried at all as he drew his next card if anything he looked pretty happy with himself. "I sacrifice a level four monster to summon the Fiend Mega Cyber!"

"Activate magic card!" Joey called as soon as Roba's monster appeared on the field. His Graceful Dice flipped up on the field and the little winged man holding the dice appeared. It dropped the die on the field letting it roll. If the roll was five or higher Joey would be able to win in this turn.

They both watched as the dice almost stopped on a six before it flipped again landing on a three. This left the Swordsman with only fifteen hundred attack points still lower than Fiend Mega Cyber's twenty two hundred attack points.

"Too bad even with fifteen hundred attack points your monster is no match for mine!" Roba smugly said as he sent his creature to attack Joey's monster.

However Joey wasn't done yet as he smirked glad to see Roba falling into one of his traps. The attack activated his other card which happened to a trap. Skull Dice not another Graceful Dice flipped up onto the field the little devil appearing and dropping the one die it was holding. Roba was in for a ruin wakening as the die stopped with a five and taking away attack points from Fiend Mega Cyber. The monster went from twenty two hundred to a weak little four hundred and forty points.

Since Fiend Mega Cyber had already been called to attack, the Swordsman had no problem taking it out in one hit. Along with it came down Roba's life points, Joey being the first to be able to even touch them. And Joey wasn't done there as he squared his opponent down with a glare.

"The reason why you thought I had two graceful dice in my hand is 'cause the cards were on top of one another, so you only saw the word 'Dice'. You don't have telepathy!" Joey growled out never likening those who cheated as he stated rather loudly, "You got some spies looking at my hand!"

* * *

On a rooftop a building away from the duel behind Joey sat four brothers who looked just like Esper Roba. One of the older ones had the littlest brother on his back that was fast asleep. Another one was wearing a microphone with the one beside him looking through binoculars.

"Uh-oh he found out…" The oldest said as the one with the headset relayed what he was hearing.

"You idiot," The one with binoculars hissed at the one with the headset, "Why didn't you guess it might be devil dice?! Now our big brother's gonna yell at me!"

"S-Sorry…" The other one with the headset said while covering up the mic so their brother down below wouldn't hear what was happening. "What should we do?"

"Roba can handle it from here, we may as well stop." The oldest said causing the other two to look up at him, "Our big brother's a good duelist. He can win even without our help." He had a smiled on his face to assure the others glad they didn't have to deal with this anymore. Someone had finally found them out like he thought would happen. But of course his big brother wouldn't listen and his younger brothers were all for this idea. Now they just could sit and watch Roba fight on his own.

* * *

"What do you mean 'Spies'? Who pray tell? Somebody in the audience?" Roba asked Joey pretending to not have a clue what he was talking about, "Don't make baseless accusations Joey… You've only won one turn. A guess with no basis is called speculation! I'll predict the future using my powers and it'll come true one hundred percent. I will win this duel and Joey you will lose. I've never lost a duel in my life. Furthermore you are an amateur, I have more experience therefore the future is certain."

"I don't know what's gonna come in the future," Joey said after letting Roba say his spill, "For example if I go down this street and I turn at the corner I might be able to see the next town, maybe there's a lady I don't know carrying a baby and shopping… That's about as much I can see into the future. But there's a guy somewhere in this town who's waiting to fight me, as soon as we get to the finals. Somewhere, sometime I'll meet him and we'll fight. I know it and I'll fight 'cause I believe in that future!"

Esper smirked, "Well I will smash that stupid future of yours! I don't need to use my powers to beat a duelist of your level!" He looked at the cards in his hands pleased to see the powerful cards. ' _I still have Jinzo the Psycho Shocker and I've already figured out the perfect way to kill you.'_ He thought to himself as he placed a faced down card and ended his turn.

' _Yes! He didn't play any monsters. I can attack him directly and just wail away at his life points.'_ Joey drew his next card and was pleased with what he got, but he made sure to hid his hand in case there were really some spies out there. He wasn't going to completely rule them out yet. "I summon the Alligator Warrior!"

And now since Esper Roba had no monsters on the field Joey sent both his monsters on the attack. Alligator Sword took the first hit taking out more of Roba's life points bringing him down to a thousand four hundred and forty points. Then it was Landstar's turn and it would be all over but Roba wasn't done yet.

"Sorry that's all you get!" Roba shouted as he played his faced down card mind control. "Ha ha! Now your warrior is my slave for two turns."

However the move didn't leave Joey in shock but confusion. ' _Why didn't he set off the trap when the first monster attacked…?'_ It would have saved Roba's life points that way.

"If I had used mind control on your first monster it would have been a draw… I wouldn't have taken any damage but that wouldn't give me what I wanted…" Roba filled Joey in but not giving away his plan as he added. "Joey I need your monster alive…"

On the side lines Rex knew just what Roba was planning but he wasn't about to tell Joey that as he watched the blond duelist. It looked like he was still trying to piece it together in his head but couldn't quite figure out the plan.

Joey was still a little frustrated as one of his monsters got taken away from him. ' _Fine, I use my own trap against him!_ ' He placed on trap card face down and ended his turn.

Esper still held that same smirk as he started his turn, "I'm going to cast a spell…" He placed down the spell card Brain control using it to take Joey's other monster. Joey could only watch as Roba stole both his monsters. "That's right… My aim was to steal both your monsters to summon an even greater creature!"

The ESP duelists used both of Joey's monsters as sacrifices to call forth his rarest card. "Say hello to Jinzo the Psycho Shocker!" And before Joey could even think about feeling safe with his trap card Roba explained something else. "Jinzo possesses a special ability… He can detect traps and destroys them."

Jinzo did just as Roba said taking out Joey's only protection and leaving the duelist defenseless. Sadly as an added bonus Joey wouldn't be able to play any future trap cards so long as Jinzo was around.

"Well then now that I've eliminated your trap, I have no reason not to just kill you! Jinzo direct attack on the player!"

Joey had no way to protect himself as he took Jinzo's attack straight on dropping his life points down even lower leaving him with only two hundred left.

Roba laughed at him, "Do you give up? You may as well you've basically lost!"

"Give up…? You wish!" Joey growled as he stood his ground and faced the player across from him. The look in his eyes showed he was far from giving up no matter how bad the situation looked, "If I give up how can I get to my future?"

* * *

 **Sakura:** Done! Well not with the story just the chapter… It took a while to figure out where I wanted to end this one. Next chapter will have the finishing of Joey's duel and some other fun stuff along with the return of Seto and Mokuba.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** So sorry this took nearly four weeks to post, but I seriously had a lot going on. I don't want to make some super long note about what had happened in those last few weeks on here, but I did post something on my profile if anyone was curious. I did have very good reasons for not getting on here, but besides that I do have one little piece of info to give all my readers.

Updates will change from once a week to every other week. And the reason for that is also on my profile. Other than that please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Marik Strikes**

The duel between Joey and Esper Roba was looking grim for the blond as Roba had the seemly unstoppable Jinzo on his side. Joey was left with no monsters and his trap cards were now useless. Anyone else might have given up but not Joey. The look in his eyes showed someone who was not defeated until his life points hit zero.

' _My future… maybe it'll never happen but when the time comes… When I realize my own strength I know I can get to that place. Somewhere in this city is the place of battle where Yugi is waiting_.' Joey knew deep down he could not lose and he told Roba as much. "I have to be there for him. I made a promise and that means I can't lose!"

Roba just laughed at him, "Dream all you like. It'll never happen! I declare here and now that your only future is defeat!" He said smugly, "Think about it with only two hundred life points and not even a single monster on the field. Whereas I have Jinzo one of the strongest monsters in the game. If there's a way for you to win, I'd like to see it! Now hurry up it's your turn, Joey the super loser!"

"Watch me!" Joey shouted as he drew his next card. Turning it over he found it to be baby dragon a card that had not failed him in a duel yet. However he had no chance against Jinzo and the only other card in his hand was Scapegoat. His chances were slim so for now he would have to buy some time until his next turn. "I'll play the spell card scape goat!" He announce before ending his turn.

That threw Roba off his game just a bit because now he would have to wait before he could totally wipe out Joey's life points. Scapegoat gave Joey four little sheep on his side of the field and if attacked Joey would not lose any points. ' _That card will only buy a little time…'_ Roba reminded himself as he drew his next card. An evil smile developed on his face as he liked the card he had just gotten and wasted no time in playing it. "First… The brain amplifier and I'll equip it on Jinzo. Jinzo's attack points go up by five hundred points but this is only the beginning. It'll go up three hundred more on every turn!"

' _It gets stronger on every turn! How am I supposed to beat this thing!"_ were Joey's thoughts but Roba was not done with his turn yet.

"Next I summon Reflect Bounder! He can bounce opponents' attacks back onto them. In other words Joey even if you summon a monster, you'll die if you attack me." Roba explained and with his team he appeared undefeatable. Joey could not play any traps and any monster would not be able to even touch Roba's monsters. Of course he rubbed it in Joey's face by saying, "Just give up. There will be no miracle for you. Your only future is defeat."

With those words he sent his monsters on the attack taking out two of Joey's scape goats. "Now you only have two goats left. If I summon another monster next turn and attack with all three I'll beat you!" He continued to gloat some more, "It's pointless to keep going. Surrender before you embarrass yourself."

Joey had about enough of this little brat as he shouted, "It's still my turn!" Joey Wheeler did not surrender to anyone no matter the situation.

"Why won't you give up?" Roba yelled frustrated that Joey would not just give up when it was certain he would win.

"Because I'm a Duelist!" Joey proudly stated with his head held high as he drew his next card. With a smirk of his own Joey played his next card, "Spell card… Roulette spider!" A robotic spider with an arrow attached to its tail end appeared on the field and made a beeline for Jinzo. It attached itself to Jinzo's face blinding the monster and pulling it to the middle of the field. A web appeared around Jinzo's waist and thus the game began.

Roba had no clue what was happening so Joey figured he would fill him in. "Roulette spider, this spell card is my last big gamble. Playing this card costs half my life points but I only had two hundred left so half of that isn't a big difference."

"Wh-What are you trying to do?!"

"The roulette spider has a simple motivation!" Joey informed him not happy about being interrupted, "It blinds the strongest monster on the field which is your Jinzo and spins it around. After its done spinning it'll attack the target the arrow points to. The possible are all the monsters on the board including mine. Of course if the arrow stops at a player it'll hit one of us with all he's got. The arrow will spin until you call out stop." So unless the odds were in Roba's favor, Joey had a slight chance to win if Jinzo were to hit reflect bounder or Roba himself. What made it better on Joey's part was that Roba who was sweating bullets and looking extremely nervous would be the one to yell stop. So he would be the cause of what ever happened whether it was defeating Joey or himself.

' _Wh-What kind of card is this? His deck is a gamble deck… it relies totally on luck!'_ Roba was not stupid he knew the odds were not good and he had given Jinzo such a power boost. _'I-If… it stops on me I'll take Jinzo's full attack… if that happens…'_

"So if you've really got ESP you better stop the arrow in the right place." Joey was nervous too but he knew better how to hide it and he was ready to face defeat. If it was meant to happen it would. "Roulette spider spin!" He called out and then it would all be up to Roba.

The spider started to spin at a fast pace that neither players could tell where he might stop. The pressure did not take long to get to Roba as he watched his Jinzo spin round and round that he finally just had to yell, "STOP!"

It stopped on a dime just like Roba told it to and both players eyes widen as they saw the creature it had stopped in front of. "It's pointing at my monster reflect bounder… b-but that means…" Roba could not even get the words out as the spider disappeared from Jinzo's face and his Jinzo attacked. Due to reflect bounder's ability both monsters ended up killing each other and Roba's life points went down to two hundred and forty.

"All my monsters are gone!"

"Hey… I still got one monster I haven't used yet!" Joey pointed out since it was still his turn and he had only just played a spell card. He bought forth one of his favorite monsters to finish Roba off. "Baby Dragon, attack his life points directly!"

The little dragon once summoned headed straight for Roba using dragon breath. Roba fell to the ground in defeat as his life points dropped to zero. All around whispers of Esper Roba's defeat started to spread like wildfire. Joey paid no mind to any of them as he walked over to Roba.

"So much for your ESP, I win. I know from experience that psychic powers are real and you don't have 'em." Joey hated people who tried to cheat others and he hoped Roba learned a lesson after this duel. "Let's do this by the rules of the tournament. Give me your rare card and puzzle card."

Roba wasn't even listening to Joey as he tried to hold back the tears. He could hear what all the others were saying around them and it was really started to tick him off. "All of you don't look down on me!" He shouted causing some to move back. "Is this fun for all of you? Looking down on the guy who lost? It makes you feel better doesn't it? So you can think 'at least I'm not a loser like him'" He ranted on in his anger, "Well I'm not an ordinary person like you guys! I'm a chosen one with special powers!"

"And that's why you hear voices from space…?" Joey sighed this kid had some self-esteem issues. He was shouting at people in the crowd that he didn't even know. "Look Roba… I'm not looking down on you." He said loud enough to get the other duelists attention. Roba settled down if only to catch his breath as he wiped at his tears. "I just had better luck that's all. Nobody here thinks you're a loser. But if there is someone here who looks down on you isn't that person you?"

"Shut up! Be quiet!"

"I'm just saying don't hate yourself."

"I can't lose! I can't!" Roba shouted as he slammed his fists on the ground, "It doesn't matter how I do it, as long as I win! I need people to respect me! If everyone thinks I'm a good duelist, my little brothers won't be picked on. Being good at card games was the only way I could protect them. Everyone loves to pick on wimps and people who look different. I have to be strong!"

Joey knew how that was from his high school days. He'd seen it enough and he knew of one guy who people saw as the biggest wimp. However his buddy had never let it get to him and in his own way showed how strong he could really be. There were ways to prove yourself but never by cheating which he was still certain of how Roba was able to know his cards until he cornered him with the truth.

"Stop whining man. This is battle city where you just get up and fight again another day," Joey put out his hand to help Roba up. "Get up!"

Roba looked up at the hand before he slapped it away, "Get lost! I don't' need your pity!"

Joey snatched his hand back as it started to sting. "Fine, do what you want!" At this point Joey didn't care about the rare card or puzzle card. There were other duelists out there he could face and work toward getting to the finals. As he turned to walk away he heard something that made him stop.

" _Stand up Big brother!"_

Joey did a one eighty as he looked around to see who had spoken. It didn't sound like it had come from any of the people in the crowd.

" _Don't give up big brother! Come on!"_

' _Okay I think I'm hearing voices now!_ ' Joey started to freak out until he felt someone come up beside him. Looking down he found four mini versions of Roba standing beside him. His brain seemed to want to shut down at that point clearly unsure what to make of the situation.

"G-Guys…" Roba said as he looked at his brothers.

" _Stand up big brother… this is our last radio message…"_ One of the brothers who was wearing a headset said and it was then Joey notice Roba looking down at his wrist. The same message the kid just spoke came out of the watch Roba wore around his wrist. Due to the microphone being close by was causing the message to come out louder showing Roba's trick to all.

Finally Roba couldn't take it as he stood up and went to his family gathering them all up for a hug. "I'm sorry!" He apologized over and over, "I deserved to lose because I made you guys do that stuff for me!"

' _S-So they're his 'psychic powers?'_ Joey quickly figured out and for some reason he couldn't be mad at them. Seeing them all together and watching Roba apologize, he could see that Roba was just trying to protect his brothers. Hopefully now Roba would stop the tricks and be a true duelist.

Thanks to his brothers Roba seemed to be in a better mode as he broke away from his brothers for a second to stand in front of Joey. He reached into his deck and pulled out a card along with his puzzle card from his duel disk. "Here's my rare card and puzzle card," Roba told him as he handed them over to Joey. It was hard to part with Jinzo but Joey had won.

"Roba… what you really need to show your little brothers is how to play fair." Joey offered his own friendly advice as he took the cards from him.

Roba nodded, "You're right and the next time I challenge you to a duel I won't use any tricks."

"I'm looking forward to it." Joey admitted it would be interesting to fight Roba again on different terms. "Oh and Roba as long as you have your brothers, you'll always be strong." He reminded the younger duelist as he said his good byes to Roba and his brothers. The day was still young and there were still more duelists to face.

* * *

All throughout Battle City, duels were happening everywhere keeping the streets of Domino alive with excitement. But while there were those who played fair and those who did lose took it as a learning experience. There were those who still played dirty and if they were the winner liked to bully others into getting what they want.

"What're you talking about?! That rare card doesn't even compare to mine!"

In an alley just off one of the main streets were two players, one standing over the other who was on the ground leaning against the building behind him. The one standing was Koji Nagumo who despite suffered a grueling defeat by Yami in Monster fighters was back to his same old bullying ways. Some people just could not change. Now he had a new game he could use to get what he wanted and a tournament that would help him stack up on some rare cards.

"B-But you agreed to this ante before we started the duel!" The other argued trying to be brave. He had lost and was handing over his rare card but Koji was not happy with it anymore.

"I changed my mind." Koji told him wanting a better card than that weak one the kid was trying to hand him, "Listen I won the duel and the loser has to do whatever the winner says. I'll give you a choice. You either give me a card equal to my hyozanryu, pay me a hundred thousand yen, or get beaten up so bad you'll never duel again!"

"P-Please… This is the best rare card I have…"

Koji reached out and grabbed the teen by the collar, "I'm gonna break your fingers!"

Before things could get ugly a whistle blew behind them causing Koji to look over his shoulder. Mokuba Kaiba stood behind the brute, whistle in hand and shouted, "Hold it right there."

"Who's this kid?" Koji murmured not recognizing him as one of the Kaiba brothers only a snot faced kid getting in his way.

"I'm Battle City's steering committee chairman! It's my job to settle disputes that come up during the tournament." Without an ounce of fear, Mokuba walked up to them and took both cards from the player's hands. "Ante trouble is the most common problem in tournaments. I'll handle this as a neutral party." He looked at both cards and could not see what the problem was. "It's forbidden to change the ante after a duel. It's also against the rules to bet for money. There's honestly no problem with the comparable rarity of these two cards. It's more than enough as an ante. There's no reason not to accept."

Koji was getting pissed as he made a grab for the kid, "You wanna die, kid? Don't mess with my rules!"

Before he could get his hands on Mokuba, the smaller was faster and moved behind a certain CEO that Koji had no clue was even there until then. The taller Kaiba glared down at Koji as he said, "You poor duelist… When you insult my little brother you insult Kaiba Corporation. I assume you're prepared for the consequences."

Mokuba grinned as he saw a look of fear come to Koji's eyes. His brother had that way with people who did not know him. "Uh-Oh, my brother's rules are scary, this is outta my hands now." He handed over Koji's card to his older brother, "Here's his ante."

"Hyozanryu… I'm shocked you can demand so much for a card like this…" Kaiba said unimpressed as right before the duelist eyes he ripped the card in half.

"Y-You bastard! Wh-Wha-What're you doing?" Despite being slightly terrified of Seto Kaiba, Koji wasn't about to let someone get away with ripping up one of his cards.

"You wouldn't have gotten this card back anyway…" Seto informed him as he then told him, "I'm challenging you to a duel right now." He dropped the briefcase he was holding and allowed Mokuba to open it up for Koji to see, "And I'm willing to ante this entire case full of rare cards."

Koji's eyes nearly bugged out as he dropped to his knees in front of the case. "Whoa…. Th-These are all rare cards… So if I beat you, these are mine?"

"My brother's no stingy," Mokuba stated watching as Koji nearly drooled over the cards like a kid in a candy store.

"It's compensation for Hyozanryu. In fact why don't you take all the rare cards you like, take a few minutes to improve your deck. Of course if you lose I'll take them all back…" Seto watched as the weak duelist before him started to do just that and then as if to add icing to the cake he said, "My deck has something called a god card. This card is so unbelievably rare that I wouldn't sell it for fifty billion yen and I'll even make that card my ante."

And just like that Seto had this sorry excuse for a duelist right where he wanted him. Koji could only see dollar signs now as he finished up his deck and got ready for the duel.

Not even two minutes later, Koji was on the ground looking like he had just seen his worst nightmare and the Kaiba brothers were walking away as if nothing had happened. Mokuba threw his hands behind his hand and sighed in a bored fashion.

"Well that was boring I don't think there is anyone who can stand up to you now." Mokuba commented as he walked alongside his brother. He was supposed to be going around keeping an eye on duelists, but it was more fun to follow Seto around just like he knew Yami was doing with Yugi. Speaking of Yugi and the others he wondered, "I wonder how far the others are in the tournament."

"You could always check…" Seto said just as bored. There were no duelists in this tournament who could stand up to him. He was sure not even Yugi would be able to defeat his god card, but of course Yugi was nowhere to be seen at the time being. Then of course he could always track down Yugi's duel disk, but for now he would settle for the old fashion way and see if he could find him by chance.

Mokuba shook his head, "Nah I'm sure he's fine. There's no way Yugi's been defeated or we probably would have heard from Yami by now, however Joey on the other hand…."

"He might have, he might not have…"

"And I bet you'll know as soon as it happens." Mokuba said with a knowing grin when he saw his brother check his phone. It was so much fun to mess with Seto about his love life. Seto liked to act like it was no big deal, but deep down Mokuba knew Seto hoped Joey would make it to the finals. The two had a complicated relationship that was for sure. "So is he out?"

Seto quickly put his phone away acting like he wasn't just checking up on his boyfriend. "I wouldn't know."

"Sure you wouldn't big brother." Mokuba hurried up in front of his brother and said, "Let's find you another duelist so I can watch you kick ass again."

"Language!"

The only response Seto got was a simply whatever wave of the hand as Mokuba continued on.

* * *

"So… you have identified the owner of Obelisk." Demanded the leader of the ghouls as he looked down at one of his subordinates, he knew someone in Domino had the last god card he needed.

"Yes lord Marik," The rare hunter replied with a bow, "The owner of the god of the obelisk is Seto Kaiba."

Marik chuckled at the news. "I should have known…"

"But lord Marik… How did Kaiba get his hands on the card?"

"I can imagine he hosted this tournament because he got his hands on obelisk… His whole purpose is to unify the gods," Marik looked to his left where his partner stood beside him face and body covered by the same cloak all rare hunters wore. "It appears your older sister had the last card all along," He waved it off like it was no big deal. "She must have sensed a possible future, she knew if she gave obelisk to Seto Kaiba he would hold a tournament like this and she knew that by the gods guidance my fate and Yugi's would intersect but in the end the god cards will come together in my hands along with the title of king."

"Kaiba is still in north block. Shall I assemble the rare hunters to attack him?" The one beside Marik asked seemingly uninterested in what Marik had just said to him.

"Seto Kaiba is an extraordinary duel monster player. Even the rare hunters will have a hard time now that he possesses obelisk…" He replied not surprised by the others avoidance of talking about his sister, "To fight a god card you need a god card."

"You wouldn't…!" The rare hunter before them shouted who had relayed the news about obelisk.

Marik just smirked, "I, who wield the Sun Dragon Ra will personally go to domino city."

"But my lord…! Must you dirty your hands…?"

"Eventually I will have to fight Kaiba. But now that we know he has obelisk we can let him be for a while. He may be of use to us." He looked to the one before them, "Put somebody on Seto Kaiba and make sure not to lose him. But before that there is someone in domino city who can entertain me…"

The ghoul looked confused until Marik asked of him, "Where is Yugi at this moment?" This jumped the hunter out of his confusion as he remembered the last place Yugi had been. He was in charge of keeping up with duelists like Kaiba and Yugi for his leader.

"We have information he is heading from east 'b' block towards 'e' block…"

"I see… There's only one place he could be going…" Marik liked how everything seemed to fall in place, "Call rare hunter number two Pandora the Conjurer. Tell him to prepare for a duel. Yugi should soon appear in front of him. It'll take some time for me to get to Domino city… In the meantime let Yugi play around with Pandora. It'll at least keep him occupied for a while."

None of the rare hunters ever needed to be told twice as they did what their leader told them to. Marik stood up from his makeshift throne holding out his hand for the one beside him. As soon as their hands were linked they left the room only to enter another one with a glass table in the middle. In the middle of the table was the Sun Dragon of Ra encased in another piece of glass to keep it protected.

Marik lifted the glass and took the card in his hands. He tossed back his hood to reveal dirty blond hair almost a gray color, darken tan skin and dark violet eyes fueled with hatred. "With this card I will defeat Yugi and extract our revenge…"

* * *

Around ten thirty Yugi and Yami could be found wondering the streets of Domino. They were keeping an eye out for duelist but most importantly keeping a watchful eye out for rare hunters. Of course that wasn't the only thing Yugi was worried about.

"I wonder what Joey is doing…?"

"Are you worried?"

Yugi shrugged, "Well Joey doesn't have his trump card red eyes black dragon and this tournament is filled with good players. " He reached into his deck box to pull out the red eyes black dragon. It was Joey's card so he wouldn't even think of adding it to his deck.

"I think giving you his red eyes has given him something to fight for…" Yami commented as he kept an eye on the people around them. "Joey's a good player too so I wouldn't count him out yet."

"Yeah but still I worry about him especially since what happened with that rare hunter. This is not just some tournament anymore…." Yugi stopped pulling Yami with him since they were holding hands.

Yami looked back at him confused, "Something up?"

"Don't you think it's strange that Joey was attacked the night before tournament and yet they challenged him with a duel disk knowing Joey was a tournament participant…"

Yami's eyes widen at the realization too catching on to what Yugi was trying to figure out. "They knew Joey owned the red eyes. But how..?"

Thinking back the only people who knew Joey owned the red eyes were his friends and those he face at Duelist Kingdom. Another than that, the only place it showed up was… "The card shop!" Yugi gasped in realization. He looked to Yami finally putting the pieces together of how the rare hunters target players, "The store we got our duel disk at! The clerk there looked up duelists' cards and levels when he gave out duel disk."

"The store is a front for the rare hunters!" Yami growled out as he took off in the direction of the shop with Yugi following right behind. They weren't far from where it was from their current location. If there were any clues about the rare hunters it had to be there.

* * *

Upon arriving at their destination they found the store to be closed yet it was nearing the afternoon. Yami walked forward to try the door and found it to be unlocked. "Closed but not locked, either really stupid…"

"Or they knew we might come here…" Yugi finished for him as he followed Yami inside the darken store. The only light coming from the glass door they stepped through. Walking up to the clerks' counter they found his computer facing their way.

They both nearly jumped out of their skin as the computer turned on by itself and displayed Yugi's picture along with his information and rarest card the Dark Magician. Yugi stepped closer to get a better look, "That's my duelist data…" It was extremely likely now that they knew Yugi would figure it out but they didn't have time to dwell on that as smoke started to come from the computer.

The dark magician on the screen started to shift and change to a different magician. Yugi backed up into Yami as the Magician on the screen rose up from it into a life size version. He was similar to Yugi's dark magician but in color and face he was different.

"I've been waiting Yugi…" The monster laughed with an evil grin on his face, "I knew from the start that you'd come here. My master the great Pandora will duel you." He pointed his staff toward the two below him and stated, "I'll show you that there is only one true user of the ultimate spell-caster card… The might Pandora the Conjurer."

"Stop the petty trick and come out rare hunter…" Yami wasn't fooled by the rare hunters' lame tactics to scare them. Surprise them maybe but not scare them. There was only one duelist who had the right to be the true user of the Dark Magician.

Laughter got their attention as a man dressed in a cheap carnival suit and mask stepped out into the light holding a Dark Magician card in his hand. "Welcome I am the second rare hunter. My name is Pandora also known as the conjurer, the Dark Magician user."

"Dark Magician user, eh…?" Yami placed a hand on his partner's shoulder knowing in just a second he would be dueling another one of these messed up hunters.

"Yugi I know you too play with Dark Magician. You've used it to defeat many foes but I am the true master of magicians. No one can beat my Dark Magician!" Pandora gloated.

"We'll see about that…" Yugi spoke up not liking this guy one bit, "Out of the thousands of cards available. Duelists build their decks by choosing cards they trust. But cards also choose duelists. Card and duelist when the two hearts are bound by trust the card will display its true power." He decided to educate Pandora as he pulled one card from his own deck. "You rare hunters don't have the heart of a duelist." He revealed his own Dark Magician having drawn it without even looking, "I accept your challenge Pandora. I'll fight you… Magician v.s Magician!"

* * *

 **Sakura:** Well we all know what will be happening in the next chapter! In case some readers skipped the message at the top, update are changing from once a week to every other week. So next update will be around October 30th... I'll try to post the dates at the end of every chapter from now on to give everyone an idea when there might be a new chapter.

 **Yumi: Please REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Thanks for all the great reviews and support. So far it looks like this update every two weeks is going to work better so far. So as promised here is the next chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Magic vs. Magic**

Yami and Yugi stared down the infamous Pandora the conjurer who happened to be a rare hunter and another duelist that favored the Dark Magician. They had come to the card shop wanting to get some answers about how the rare hunters knew about Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon before the tournament and it was clear they had gotten their answer.

"Yugi there's only room for one magic-themed duelist in this world." Pandora informed them using his own duel disk to show off his own Dark Magician. "Whoever wins this match will earn the title of Master of Magicians. Don't even try to run from our duel."

Yugi would never think about running away from an opponent as he showed his own Dark Magician. "I accept your challenge Pandora!"

"That's the spirit, how kind of you to accept… so there's no need for force. This is an honor," Pandora stated with a little bow before he straighten and turned, "Well then, this room is too small to fight properly. I have prepared a duel arena in the basement of the shop. This way please…" He turned to show them the way not even looking to see if they would follow.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other not sure where Pandora might be leading them but they took the chance. They followed him to the back of the store where some stairs to the basement lead.

"Mind the stairs…" Pandora warned them as he headed down into the dark basement. He only took a peak behind him to see the two following before he informed them, "Incidentally Master Marik told me you might be dropping by. I took the time to set up something special so you wouldn't get bored."

"You talked to Marik?" Yami questioned, he was the real master mind behind all this and Yami never did like an enemy he couldn't see especially when that person had it out for his boyfriend. "Where is he Pandora?"

"Where he is I wonder…?" Pandora chuckle as he simply pointed to his head and stated, "He's close… very close… You might say he's in here."

"This could be just like with that other guy," Yugi pointed out to Yami. "Marik has the power to possess his underlings and make them do whatever he wants. He could be watching us right now." Which was a really scary thought but he had a duel to focus on at the moment.

After a moment Pandora stopped before a steel door with a question mark on it, "Here we are. This is my underground arena," He opened the door up before stepping inside and as soon as they followed inside the door shut behind them and the lights came on, "Welcome to Pandora's room!"

Around them were all kinds of magic tools and occult paraphernalia with a lone duel arena in the middle. The way the arena was set up so the duelist had to step down a few steps to get into it making it lower than the rest of the floor. In the middle was a table with a pentagram on it.

"This room looks like a bad dream…" Yugi commented this room gave the feel to the darker side of magic.

Pandora walked around to his side of the arena, "A conjurer has many powers from simple card tricks to the ability to bring nightmares to life and now…" He stepped up to the table in the middle just as Yugi entered the area and did the same. His partner standing back to watch, "I believe this is a worthy stage for a match between two Dark Magicians."

Both duelists presented their decks to the other for them to be shuffled, "Now let us shuffle our decks, whether we can draw our magicians or die horribly all depends on this moment…" Pandora commented as he took a hold of Yugi's deck and started to shuffle it.

Yugi watched as Pandora shuffled his cards while he did the same to Pandora's, "Shotgun shuffle will damage your cards you know." He mentioned clearly not happy with how his cards were being handled.

"I'm used to this way."

They handed each other's decks back to the other and moved back into place for the duel to begin. However Pandora had one more trick up his sleeve as he watched Yugi step into place, "But now that we are committed to dueling, I'd like to show you something that will prove that we're truly blood brothers." He reached up to the chain that was near him that Yugi hadn't noticed before. "A nightmare show with you as the star!"

As soon as he pulled the chain, Yugi nearly lost his balance as he felt something cold and metal cover his ankles. Looking down his eyes widened when he noticed he was now shackled in place and when he pulled there was no getting out.

"What is the meaning of this!" Yami shouted as he entered the arena and tried to help Yugi get out of his shackles.

Pandora just laughed at their weak attempt to set Yugi free, "I have them too now neither of us can escape! And now you will witness the greatest show of the century…. Pandora's daring escape from the very jaws of death!"

It just turned from bad to worse as twin saws came out of the walls on either side of the arena. One for each duelist Yami figured based on the writing he saw just above them that looked like life points. He was not about to let his boyfriend play such a dangerous duel.

"A one hundred tooth carbide tipped saw blade just like they use to saw women in half! As I'm sure you've guessed already this duel will use my house rules." Pandora said enjoying the looks of horror on their faces. He was having way too much fun with this. "And those numbers marked on the cutter's rails are the players' life points." He pointed out to which Yami already figured. "Once the players' life points hit zero it is both game over as you lose both the duel and your legs. However if you happen to win there is a box between your legs. In this box is a key that will unlock the shackles on our legs. The display on the box shows the enemy's life points. It is designed to open when it reaches zero. In other words, only the winner can escape!"

"Pandora you're crazy!" Yami was beyond pissed and not even Yugi could calm him down at this point.

Pandora wasn't even fazed by Yami's anger as he continued to ignore him, "According to Greek mythology, Pandora's box was created by the gods to contain all the misfortune in the world. But when a woman named Pandora opened it, all the evil escaped bringing evil suffering and pain. But one thing remained in the box… hope. This key is our hope, but only for one of us."

"Is this fun for you?"

"Hmmm?"

"A battle that kills people…" Yami stated as he stood up not able to get Yugi out. He leveled Pandora with a look that could kill. "I'm asking you, is it fun?"

"Why yes… because I'm the one who'll win. Now the audience is supposed to be seen not heard so move along..."

"You filthy scum!" So badly Yami wanted to go over there and beat the guy to death, but there was another voice in the back of his head that was telling him that it wasn't smart. The duel would have to be played through in order to get the key to free Yugi. ' _I still don't like this.'_ He told the pharaoh as he briefly turned back to his Aibou.

Yugi gave him a small smile even if he was scared, but he had agreed to this and he would see it through. "I'll be fine," He said as he reached out to place a hand on the side of Yami's face.

Yami calmed only a small bit from the touch, "Make sure to kick his ass…" He gave his partner a quick kiss before he moved out of the way of the duel.

Yugi put on his best poker face as he drew his first five cards, "I'll go first," He announced to which Pandora had no problem.

Pandora was already planning out his win as he looked at the cards he drew, one of them being his Dark Magician. ' _Luck is on my side! I already drew the Dark Magician but of course it wasn't just luck… as a professional stage magician, I know more than one thousand techniques to cheat at cards. It's simple to draw whatever card I need from my deck._ _I'll teach you the hard way Yugi! No one outwits a conjurer!'_

Yugi had no clue what Pandora had done to his cards or what he had already drawn as he focused on his own turn. He started with playing one card face down and then summoned his Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defense mode.

Once his turn ended Pandora drew a card before he summoned his Legion the Fiend Jester in defense mode as Yugi did with his own monster. _'According to the super expert rules, I just need to play one more monster and then I can sacrifice them both to summon Dark Magician.'_ Pandora thought as he ended his turn.

Of course most players might have attacked, but not Yugi as he drew his card for his turn. "Pandora instead of attacking, first I'll play a spell card and that card is…" He played his spell card down to reveal, "Card destruction!"

' _Wh-What… C-Card destruction…?!'_

Judging from Pandora's face, Yugi got the reaction he thought he might get once he played that spell card, "We both discard our hands, that means you too Pandora."

Pandora's hand was shaking as he closed the hand he had prepared to put it in the graveyard. His eyes not leaving the one card he was trying to summon.

"Judging from your look of panic, I guess you did have Dark Magician." Yugi summed up pretty quick, "Only a fool would duel a conjurer without taking precautions against cheating. Someone who shotgun shuffles their cards obviously does not care about hurting them… I knew you'd cut up your cards and mark them without thinking twice."

"Th-then you knew…?"

A simple nod was all Pandora got as he cursed the duelist before him. They both drew a brand new hand, but Yugi's turn was not over yet. He revealed his face down card which happened to be the spell card brain control. Since Pandora only had one little defense monster on the field it was obvious which monster Yugi was going to use it on.

The jester was pulled over to Yugi side, "I sacrifice these two monsters to summon the Dark Magician!" Yugi announced as both monsters were replaced with Yugi's own mighty Magician. "This is it Pandora! I'll teach you how your cards feel when you cut them up!"

Pandora was both in panic and feeling absolute hate for Yugi. ' _He summoned his Magician before I could…!'_

"I'll play any game no matter how dangerous but if you want to kill me you better be ready to pay the price!" Yugi put out there and the other two could see the look of complete determination in his eyes. "Dark Magician Direct Attack!"

His faithful Magician went straight toward Pandora attacking him with his black magic and knocking his life points down to fifteen hundred. "With that attack your life points are cut in half! Let's see this 'show of the century' you were talking about!"

Yugi and Yami both watched as the saw moved toward Pandora stopping at the fifteen hundred mark. At first he started to flip out as the saw began to move and only calmed down when it stopped. One more attack like that and this duel would be over in no time which is what Yugi was hoping for.

"If you want to give up now's the time…" Yugi stated.

Pandora seemed to do a one eighty as he started to laugh at Yugi's words. It's like that little episode he just had never happened. "G-Give up! Never! This is great, the taste of death. I wish you could taste it too."

Yugi gave Yami a look that said 'He really is a nut job' but Yugi wasn't about to say it to Pandora's face.

"Listen Yugi…" Pandora said gaining their attention, "I am a conjurer. I'm in control here and you are just the audience for my show. Pandora's Great Escape! I am the one who will win… I am the one who will live and you're the on who'll be chopped to mince-meat!"

"Let's get this game over with…" Yugi wasn't interested in hearing anymore of Pandora's nonsense.

Pandora seemed to get the message as he started his turn by drawing his next card. ' _Yugi's unleashed his Dark Magician… I can't get hit again or I'm dead…'_ He took one look at his hand before playing one monster in defense mode and another card face down before ending his turn.

' _He only has one defense monster on his side. I'll summon another monster on my turn, do a double attack and I'll win.'_ Yugi drew his next card before summoning his Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode.

As soon as Yugi played his monster Pandora revealed his trap card, "Coffin of Dark Resurrection!" Pandora announced as the coffin appeared on the field opening up and pulling in Yugi's Beta Warrior inside. "The coffin resurrects Dark Magician in exchange for two souls… one of your monsters and one of mine." He informed Yugi as the coffin then took Pandora's only defense monster as well before it closed up.

The coffin only closed for a second before it began to open back up and revealed Pandora's own Dark Magician. Now both players had a Dark Magician on the field with the same amount of life points. If one were to attack the other it would be a draw so both players would have to either power their Magician's up or find another way to get to each other's life points.

/ _Two monsters with the same attack points can't just recklessly fight each other… if that happens both of them will die…/_ Yami looked beside him to see the pharaoh had appeared in spirit form. He seem to be watching this duel just as intently, / _Summoning another monster can be dangerous too…/_

Yami understood where he was getting at, ' _They're both wielding such high level monsters. Whoever summons a new monster first is at a disadvantage because they'll be an easy target for the opponents Magician. The only way out of a stalemate would be to defeat the enemy Magician with spells or traps.'_

/ _Yugi has seemed to figure that out as well…/_

Yami could see the same thing as he watched his partner laid two face down cards instead of attacking. As he ended his turn, Pandora wasn't stupid either as he simply followed Yugi's example and played two face down cards and ended his turn.

"Then I'll play one more…" Yugi played one more face down card on his turn.

"As shall I…."

After another round of this both Yugi and Pandora both had four face down cards and neither had yet to do anything else. On Pandora's next turn he decided to get the gear moving and activated one of his face down cards. "Spell card Mystic Guillotine!"

A large Guillotine appeared on Pandora's side of the field but that wasn't the only thing as chains reached out from the guillotine chaining up Yugi's Dark Magician and pulling him to lie down below the large blade.

"Die!" Pandora shouted the command releasing the blade to kill Yugi's Dark Magician.

"Not so fast! Spell card Magical Hats!" Yugi played one of his favorite spell cards saving his Dark Magician. The guillotine took out one of the Magical Hats but the Magician was not under it. This left three hats to move back over in front of Yugi one of them holding the Dark Magician.

As soon as Pandora saw this he unleashed his second spell card, "You can't get away that easily! Thousand Knives!"

Knives appeared around Pandora's Dark Magician before the Magician unleashed them on the Magical hats. However Yugi was prepared again as he used the spell card, "De-spell!" Both the magical hats and the knives disappeared leaving both Magician still standing.

"Attack! Black Magic!" Both players said at the same time, Pandora getting frustrated that none of his spell cards were working against Yugi. He had something to counter every move he made so why not just attack. He had a spell card that would give him back his Dark Magician, but what about Yugi.

After both Magicians were gone both players played another spell card. "Monster Reborn!"

Yami felt like he was going to get whiplash from this duel. Once again both players had both their Dark Magician's on the field. ' _This is never going to end…'_

Yugi smirked as it turned out Pandora had thought the same thing Yugi was thinking when he attacked. "It seems our Magicians are evenly matched…" He had played Monster Reborn face down as a back up to save his Dark Magician, but it appeared Pandora had been at the ready to. ' _I've evaded his attacks so far but what will his next move be? He's a tough magic-user however I have faith in my Dark Magician…'_ Yugi thought as he looked toward his monster and he swore the magician was smiling back as if reading his thoughts.

Pandora was having similar thoughts only slightly darker, ' _The legends don't lie, Yugi… Your skill in magic is plain to see but don't forget I have the upper hand. I've been preparing to fight you. I knew you used the Dark Magician and that's why my deck includes the ultimate anti-spell caster card.'_ He drew his next card given it was his turn now. "A fierce exchange but it's my turn! I play a face down card and that's all."

Yugi drew his next card, "Two face down cards! Turn over!"

Now with more cards on the field it was time for their fight to continue, Pandora started his turn off with, "Spell card! Beckon to the dark! The hand of the void will take one of your monsters into the darkness forever!"

Yugi wasn't about to let the the giant hand that appeared take his Dark Magician. "Trap card Mystical Rift Panel! I'm going to turn your spell right back at you!"

Unknowing to Yugi this is just what Pandora wanted as he smirked, "Just as I planned the arm was a decoy to make you play a trap card," He announced before he played his own trap, "Counter trap active Nightmare Chains!"

Behind Yugi appeared a steel grid with chains all over it. The chains grabbed Yugi's Dark Magician pulling him and trapping him against the steel grid. Pandora could only laugh evilly as he took Yugi's Magician out of play. "Now your Dark Magician can only watch as his owner is tortured to death!" He taunted Yugi since there was nothing the duelist could do.

' _With Dark Magician out of the picture he'll be able to attack my life points directly!'_ Yugi realized quickly since it was not his turn and he had no monsters on the field.

"Go my slave! Blast Yugi to bits!" Pandora shouted as he sent his Dark Magician after Yugi.

There was nothing Yugi could do as he was forced to take the hit dead on just like Pandora did at the beginning of the duel. It took half his life points bringing him down to fifteen hundred and moving the saw so much closer to him. Of course he wasn't the only one in a panic about it as Yami was forced to watch Yugi play out this twisted duel.

"Are you ready to be dismembered Yugi? Care for a little 'body modification'? When your life drops to zero, my great escape will be complete and you'll bring down the curtain with your own blood!" Pandora continued to taunt loving every minute now that he was on the winning in, "Now Yugi, it's your last turn."

"The only blood about to be spilled is his own if he thinks I'm going to let him hurt my Yugi," Yami grumbled to himself not wanting to distract his partner. In his head he could feel the pharaoh agreeing along with him. Neither of them were about to let Pandora get even close to cutting Yugi with that blade. They just weren't going to interfere for now because they had trust and faith in Yugi's dueling abilities and they could see in his eyes he was far from beaten.

Yugi looked at the cards in his hands and for now he just needed to protect his life points. The best way to do that was with a good defense monster and thankfully there was one in his hand. "I summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode!"

"So you played a wall monster… I see you think you can cower behind that shield to escape my sorcerer's next attack but it won't work." Pandora informed Yugi about to pull another trick to wipe Yugi out, "With the end of your turn, your legs will come off below the knee, try dueling then! For now I'll summon a monster." He played Malice Doll of Demise in attack mode and then played another spell card, "This is the card that will seal your death! A spell which affects the entire board, Ectoplasmer!"

Yugi eyes widen at the card as he knew just what it was and what it could do, but Pandora decided to fill him in anyway, "This card can extract ectoplasm, soul energy from a monster and use it as a weapon and it'll go right around your wall."

' _Is he planning on sacrificing his monsters souls?'_ were both Yugi and Yami's thoughts.

Of course Pandora confirmed it by saying, "You guessed it! Of course the monster whose soul is extracted will die, but if that's what it takes to win it's a small price to pay." He never even saw the look of horror on his own Dark Magician's face. "Here goes, on this turn Dark Magician and Doll of Demise will be converted to ectoplasm!"

Just as those words left his lips the ectoplasm of Doll of Demise left the monster's body leaving it just a shell and upon Pandora's command shot forward. It attacked Yugi directly completely by passing Yugi's monster. The attack sent Yugi's life points down to seven hundred and one more hit like would mean the end for Yugi.

"Yugi… do you know why you couldn't beat me despite your prodigious skills?" Pandora questioned acting like he had already won the duel but of course he also answered his own question. "I will tell you… you lack the ruthlessness to be a true master of magicians. You coddled your slaves! You can't win with trust!" He pointed toward Yugi's own Dark Magician, "Look at your slave, tied to the grid because you cared so much about protecting it. You were a fool! A monster is nothing but a pawn and pawns must be sacrificed!"

"You scum…" Yugi hissed not wanting to hear another word come out of this ghoul's mouth. He was spouting nothing but lies. He knew nothing about the true heart of the game.

Pandora looked to his own Magician, "Dark Magician, give me your life so that I can win! Your master demands it!"

Upon his demand the ectoplasm of the Dark Magician appeared out of the Magician leaving the monster as just a shell like it did with the doll. And once Pandora gave the command it shot forward to attack Yugi.

Yugi on the other hand could see the look the Magician had on its face before it sacrificed itself. "Can't you hear your servant crying…?" He asked even as the attack came at him.

"Just die!" Pandora shouted not caring at all what Yugi was saying.

"Yugi!" Yami was about to run over to his partner, but something held him back. And that something was the pharaoh saying, / _Look closer…/_

When Yami took the second to take in the whole picture he was able to see something he had not seen a second ago. Before the ectoplasm of Pandora's Dark Magician could attack Yugi, the ectoplasm of Yugi's own Dark Magician left its body and moved in front of Yugi like a shield.

Not only was Yami surprised by it but both were Pandora and Yugi who watched it in silence. The hit meant for Yugi was taken by Yugi's own Dark Magician who gave his life to protect Yugi. No life points were lost and both Dark Magicians were gone.

Inside Pandora was flipping out by that move, ' _S-So that's what happened… When I designated my magician as the target of the spell, his Dark Magician was affected too… but Yugi never told it to protect him… does this mean… a card by its own will became a shield for a player!'_

Yugi watched as the hologram card of the Dark Magician disappeared from the field now that the Magician was gone. He closed his eyes as he silently thanked the Magician for saving him, ' _Dark Magician… the soul you gave for me will not be wasted!'_ A new determination appearing in Yugi's eyes when he reopened them ready to finish this duel and teach this Pandora a lesson about how to really treat his cards.

* * *

 **Sakura:** The battle between magic users is not over yet! Thought I would finish this duel in one chapter but decided to make it into two. Next time will be the conclusion of Yugi's duel and another visit from Marik.

 **Yumi: Please Review!** Next chapter will be posted around November 13th


	15. Chapter 15

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** As promised here is the next chapter... So far updating every two weeks is working out a whole lot better than I thought. I have a lot more time to get things done. So without anymore delay here is the next chapter...

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Eyes that See the Future**

Pandora looked on in frustration as his turn was wasted. He had no idea Yugi's Dark Magician would sacrifice itself to save its master and now his own Magician was gone as well. However he was not done yet as he still had two other Dark Magicians in his deck and he knew Yugi only had the one. Plus unless Yugi had another monster reborn there was nothing stopping Pandora from summoning another Dark Magician and finishing Yugi off for real.

"Enough Gawking let us continue! I'll play one face down card and end my turn." Pandora said as he collected himself and placed a card face down, "By the way Yugi, I know you don't have another Dark Magician in your deck but I have two left to defeat you. The title of master is as good as mine."

Yugi was not in the best of moods anymore as glared at Pandora, "We'll see about that Pandora. If you were a real master of magicians your ears would be filled with the cry of the soul of the card you sent to its death!"

Pandora laughed at that, "I don't hear anything of the sort! I just hear the sweet music of the circular saw waiting to cut you up! You're down to seven hundred life points. The moment it reaches zero the cutter will pass the zero counter and chop you in half and I will complete the greatest escape trick of the century."

"Only the cards know the way this battle will end," Yugi stated as he started his turn. ' _Pandora doesn't have any monsters on his side this is my chance to attack.'_ He had to take Pandora out before he summoned another Dark Magician. "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode!" Yugi called as he summoned his monster and sent it on the attack.

However before his attack could hit Pandora another curve ball was thrown his way as Pandora activated his face down card, "Trap card Devil's Scales!"

A giant scale appeared on the field with the look of a devil and razor sharp scales. "This trap card activated when you try to summon a monster. It weighs the number of my monsters against the number of yours and makes yours equal to mine." Pandora explained with a chuckle.

Yugi cursed his luck, "And you don't have any monsters… in other words the devil's scales will destroy all my monsters."

"How right you are! Let the scales decide!" Pandora was enjoying it way too much as Yugi's two monsters were placed on one side of the scales. Their weight versus the other side caused the scale to lower with Yugi's monsters and crush them.

Pandora was pleased with that move now that the field was empty once again of monsters, "Now we both have no monsters on our fields and right after you summoned… I'm so sorry," He said with complete sarcasm before a wicked grin crossed his face, "Now allow me…"

' _Now that neither of us have monsters the first person to summon one and keep it on the field will win,_ ' Yugi analyzed as his turn was now over. He had no monsters on the field and only his face down cards.

"Heh heh you played right into my grasp… do you know that Yugi? Because I have a card that can summon a high-level monster in an instant. A card to summon the world's most powerful spell-caster the Dark Magician!" Pandora felt the need to gloat, "I win with this card!"

' _He wiped out all the monsters on the field because he had a special summon card in his hand.'_ Yugi realized and it was smart but not for him.

Pandora placed his card on the field for all to see, "Dark Magic Curtain!" A large black curtain with a skeleton wearing a cape appeared on his side of the field and at his command the skeleton pulled the curtain aside, "Come out Dark Magician!"

Without having to sacrifice any monsters, the Dark Magician appeared on Pandora's side of the field looking just as deadly as the other one. "Well Yugi, who has the perfect magician deck? Speed of attack, speed of summoning, spell cards… in every way my deck is superior to yours! You must admit I am the true master of magicians the ultimate arch mage!"

Yugi had nothing to say to that, but Pandora could not keep his mouth shut, "You don't have a single monster on the field. When I give Dark Magician the word he will strike you down and I will win. Your only hope it those face down cards. No doubt they're killing traps that will be activated by my attack. I don't like them so I'm going to get rid of them."

There was nothing Yugi could do as Pandora played his Anti-Magic Arrows sending arrows at Yugi's face down. The cards were destroyed leaving Yugi with no defense to counter Pandora's next attack.

"Now you have nothing left to stop me! Dark Magician attack Yugi!" Pandora sent his magician on the attack ready to finish the duel once and for all.

Though it appeared Yugi had lost the look on his face proved something else as Yugi smirked knowing something Pandora did not. It was only when Dark Magician paused in his attack did Pandora's eyes widened when his Dark Magic Curtain appeared on Yugi's side of the field.

It seemed Pandora did not know everything about his cards as Yugi stated, "The effects of Dark Magic Curtain extend across the entire field. In other words I can use the magic too. Though it costs half my life I'm also summoning a magician!"

"B-But I know your deck! You only have one Dark Magician!" Pandora protested.

"That's right I never said I had more than one." Yugi agreed with him but he did have a different magician in his deck, "In the world of duel monsters the Dark Magician has an apprentice who inherited his vast powers." The Dark Curtain opened up to reveal the monster within as Yugi announced, "Dark Magician girl!"

The Dark Magician Girl appeared before them both looking ready to kick some butt. This was good because Pandora was not happy about this turn of events as he still sent his monster on the attack. Dark Magician girl was five hundred points weaker than his monster so he would still win on this turn.

Both Magician's sent out their best attacks causing a clash, smoke covering the field keeping both monsters hidden from their masters. Pandora was just waiting on the smoke to clear so he could see his Magician in all his winning glory but that glory would be short lived.

Once the smoke cleared only Yugi's Dark Magician Girl stood tall after the attack causing Pandora's heart to sink. ' _That can't be….! My Dark Magician was vaporized. But why? It had five hundred more attack points…'_

Yugi could see the look of panic on Pandora's face so Yugi thought best to explain what happened before the guy had a break down, "Dark Magician Girl's attack power raises by five hundred for each Dark Magician in the graveyard. The apprentice carries on her master's legacy and he watches over her."

"B-But… There was only one Dark Magician card in your graveyard! Even with five hundred extra attack points she should've only had twenty five hundred! She should have died in that last exchange!"

"Take a closer look. If you're a real magician lord, see the truth with your own eyes!"

Pandora did and not only was Yugi's Dark Magician's ghostly form standing behind the Dark Magician Girl but so was his first Dark Magician. This bought Dark Magician Girl's attack points to three thousand making her stronger.

"Dark Magician girl inherits the souls of all dead magicians, no matter where they are buried even you're so called 'slave' who you ruthlessly killed!" Yugi informed him as Pandora's life points went down to seven hundred and fifty from that last turn. Now was the time to finish him off and finish this duel. Yugi sent his Dark Magician Girl to finish off Pandora with a direct attack taking his life points down to zero. "When duelists treat cards as nothing but objects they go down the path of ruin and defeat. You lost because your own Dark Magician turned against you!"

"Th-That can't be…." Pandora was still in complete denial, "Cards are just cards! They don't have minds of their own! They can't turn against their masters!"

"You cut up cards to cheat. You slaughtered your own monsters to win. You've lost the soul of a duelist… if you ever had one." Yami said simply stating the facts as he watched Pandora freak out as the saw blade began to move. The box below Yugi's feet popped open at that point so Yami hurried over to help Yugi out of his shackles. He didn't trust the blade that was close to his boyfriend even if it wasn't moving. Inside the box was a key and puzzle card for the winner.

"No it's got me…" Pandora said in mock worry but really he was smirking on the inside as he reached inside his sleeve. ' _…Not! Don't underestimate a conjurer! I had a spare key hidden up my sleeve. As long as I have this, I can easily escape…'_ Or so his thoughts were as he pulled the key out to use. That was when he felt the familiar pull on his mind meaning only one thing. ' _M-Master Marik….'_

 _/Didn't you lose the duel, Pandora? Then you must pay the price…/_

"Please master, forgive me!" Pandora begged but Marik wasn't as forgiving as he took away his ability to see. Pandora was left with a key in his hand that he did not believe was there anymore. "Where's they key? Where'd it go? It was right here in my hand!"

/ _I can control your memory… I've erased the key from your mind you can't see it or feel it. As far as you're concerned it doesn't exist…/_ Marik informed his puppet as the blade only got closer to its victim. It appeared to be moving slow with a purpose to inflict as much pain on the loser as possible. However by this point it had got to the point that it was on the edge and just about to cut into Pandora's leg.

Luckily before it could do some real damage, Pandora was freed from his shackles and pushed to the ground in time to save his legs. Yugi sat up panting from the burst of energy he just had to use. "No game is worth dying for. That's just sick." He said despite how much he was sure Pandora deserved his punishment. He had wanted to inflict the same pain on Yugi, but Yugi had won and he did not wish to see his opponent die.

Yami came over to help Yugi stand back up and keep him away from the creep lying on the ground. "Always the hero…" He mumbled into Yugi's hair as he kissed his partner's head. He would have preferred to see Pandora die but saving him was Yugi's choice.

Before Yugi could say something back, another voice spoke up, "Now why'd you do that?"

"Marik…" Yami growled out as he watched Pandora stand up like a puppet on strings. The same third eye was on the conjurer's forehead like it had been with that other ghoul when Marik controlled him. It appeared he had been watching them all along. "Why do you want to kill us? Tell me." He shouted sick of these games. It wasn't right for Yugi to risk his life like this.

"It doesn't concern you," Marik informed them as the puppet looked toward Yami, "But I have business with the soul you contain and my business is revenge. I am the heir of the clan of tomb guardians who have lived in darkness for three thousand years and I will avenge them."

' _Clan of tomb guardians? Where have I heard that before…?'_ Yami thought as he tried to remember why it sounded familiar. It must have been something he heard in the past because at the moment it escaped him why he knew of it.

"In the most remote parts of Egypt near the tombs of the kings. We tomb guardians have lived apart from the world, hiding in the shadows, passing the tasks from mother to daughter and father to son to protect the seven secrets to protect the lost memories of the pharaoh so that one day the king will rise again…" Marik stated and from the tone in his voice it wasn't something he liked telling others.

"You're talking about the millennium items?" Yugi questioned matter of fact since that seemed to be the only thing the enemies they had faced seemed to be after.

There was a nod of the puppets head and Marik continued, "I hold one of the seven items. I must guard it, even if it means my life, until I present it to the king's soul. That's what I was taught as a child. The problem is finding the king's soul. The only clue is written in the original hieroglyphic text of the book of the dead. It says of the king 'you will know him by the three god cards he wields'. In other words the one who collects the three god cards will be crowned king and regain the millennium items and his lost memories."

' _The three gods cards…'_ Was the same thought running through both Yugi and Yami's head, but most importantly what stuck to them was the fact Marik mentioned the King's lost memories. This would be the most important clue they had run across in helping the pharaoh and strange it was coming from the enemy.

"For countless generations my family has protected the millennium items at the cost of suffering and pain. I will put an end to our curse but not by welcoming the king we have waited for." Marik pointed out to them and they could hear the anger in his voice. "I will kill him a second time and take revenge. And if the prophecy says that the king will wield the three gods' cards then I will fulfill the prophecy and become the new king!"

However in Yami's mind something didn't add up. The pharaoh lived within him not his partner who was forced to face all these duels against the ghouls. It made him wonder if the true propose for them fighting Yugi was for the millennium puzzle. The last time the puzzle had been taken apart had ripped the pharaoh from him taking the pharaoh's life away until Yugi completed it. Since the pharaoh was only a spirit that must be the only way to kill him. Just the thought that Marik was still out there hunting them made him wish he had the puzzle not Yugi. These were some dangerous games they were playing. The pharaoh may have developed into his friend, but Yugi was more important to him.

He could see it in Yugi's eyes as he looked own at his little lover. Yugi had that look that told him he wasn't about to let Marik get away with any of this. So for now Yami would just have to have faith that Yugi knew what he was doing.

"Of course I formed the ghouls to find the three god cards and I have two of them already…." Marik mentioned offhand catching Yami's attention again. "The last one is in this town in battle city."

"I won't let you kill the pharaoh!" Yugi said with determination glaring at the puppet as if he was glaring at Marik himself. The pharaoh was his friend and just like all his other friends he would protect them. "We will fight you!"

Marik only chuckled at that, "It'll take a while to get to domino city but I don't want you to get bored. In the meantime a rare hunter with a god card is already in town with you, a man with Slifer the sky dragon. You'll see him before you expect it. Remember this… beware the silent doll."

As if the strings were cut Pandora fell face first to the ground letting them know Marik was gone. The two felt like they could breathe a little with their enemy gone, but of course that didn't change anything. Marik was still headed toward them and they only knew a little about him. They didn't even know what he looked like so he could pretend to not be there when really he was already in battle city.

Yami raked his fingers through his hair, "I wish he would just show his face already so I could give him a good beating for all the shit he's putting us through."

Yugi nodded in agreement. "Not much we can do for now. What do you think he meant by beware the silent doll?"

"I rather get out of here first before trying to piece any puzzles together," Yami suggested as he was fine during the duel but now that it was over he was just ready to get out of there.

Yugi took one look around the room, "I'll second that." They didn't even check on the conjurer on the ground as they headed for the nearest exit which they hoped took them out of there.

* * *

By eleven forty eight am, three hours had passed since the start of the tournament. While Joey, Seto, and Yugi were moving along in the tournament there friends however were having a little trouble finding them.

"So did you find them?" Tea asked of Bakura and Ryou as she met back up with them in the plaza where the tournament had started at. It had been agreed the day before that once the tournament got started they would come down and try to see their friends duel. There wasn't anything forcing them, well maybe on Bakura's part there was a little force by Ryou, but they wanted to cheer their friends on. It helped that they didn't have to worry about classes and somehow they all ended up with days off from work.

Ryou shook his head while Bakura looked like he hadn't even tried to find them. "No they weren't over there either…" There were duels happening all over but none with Yugi or Joey in them.

"Sheesh where could they be…?" Tea wondered as she looked at her phone. "I'll never understand how those boys can have cell phones but never answer them." She had tried texting Joey and Yugi in case they were in a duel, while she tried to call Yami but no answer there either.

"Domino city's pretty big. It could take a while to find them…" Ryou mentioned as he was still getting used to the area.

Tea did not want to even be reminded of that. "And Tristan is gone dragging Duke with him on some kind of trip." She sighed meaning there was even more ground to cover between her and her two white hair companions for the day. Tristan was better at knowing all of Joey's favorite spots. Yugi was one of her very best friends and she still couldn't keep up with all the places he and Yami disappear to.

Ryou knew Tea was frustrated at not knowing where her friends were so he offered one of his best smiles and said, "Don't worry Tea. No matter where they are, I'm sure they're doing fine. Besides we all know Yugi is best at this game."

Tea knew he was but still she wanted to see them for herself, "C'mon lets go look for them." She ushered them forward wanting to try a different area.

It wasn't that far of a walk as they moved from the plaza into one of the smaller parks of Domino. This one was located in the heart of downtown to give the steel city a bit of greenery. Plus it made a great spot for employees working nearby to have a great place to have lunch. However on that day the area was filled with duelists of all kind trying to beat each other.

The trio by passed them all until Ryou stopped when he spotted an unusual large crowd just off to their right. "What's that crowd…?" He wondered as he parted from the other two to check it out. Both Bakura and Tea saw him walk away and decided to follow and see what had Ryou's attention.

"This guy's been standing in this same spot since yesterday!" Someone in the crowd explained to a friend.

"He hasn't eaten or drank the whole time!"

"That's gotta be a record!"

Ryou worked his way to the front of the crowd with his boyfriend and friend behind him. As soon as he got to the front his eyes widen when he noticed a mime standing on a park bench. He appeared to be trapped in some invisible box with his hands up in the air staring straight ahead and not blinking. Unlike some of the more traditional mimes he had seen this one was dressed in a gothic fashion of chains and buckles with a large bag around his shoulder.

"Wow and he's been in that pose for a whole day?" Tea commented to what she had heard the people around her say.

While Ryou and Tea were impressed with the mime, Bakura just wanted to get the hell out of there. He hated large crowds but mostly people in general besides Ryou. "C'mon he's not a duelist, let's go." Bakura said as he grabbed Ryou's hand to gently pull him away.

Ryou understood the message and let Bakura led him away just as the bell from a local clock tower stuck noon. "It's already noon…" He said not believing the time and turned to Tea, "How about we get some lunch before we start searching again."

"That's it!" Tea shouted making Ryou jump at the outburst. She looked to him with a grin, "I know where to get some lunch and find Joey."

* * *

Only about two blocks away from the trio's location was one of Domino's famous beef bowl places called the Beef Buster. It was no surprise after his last duel that Joey took it upon himself to stop at one of his favorite places and grab a bite to eat. In Joey's book it was a crime for any duelist to eat on an empty stomach. That's why when an extra-large with extra sauce beef bowl was placed in front of him Joey was in heaven.

"Alright you rule, this looks so good." Joey told the chef as he dug right in.

The chef knew Joey as a regular costumer and he also knew him to be a duelist. Plus judging by the duel disk on his arm he was in the tournament that had started that day. "I should have figured you wouldn't be one to miss out on a tournament like this." He said making casual talk while serving his other costumers as well.

"You bet I wouldn't," Joey said after he swallowed a mouth full of tasty noodles. "But you can't draw good cards if you're hungry. Even a warrior needs a break."

"Then good luck and eat our beef with our blessings," The chef informed Joey as he moved to serve a new costumer that just sat down to order.

While eating Joey never realized that his duel disk was nearly poking a guy on his other side that was trying to eat before he had to get back to work.

"H-Hey take that thing off your arm! It's in the way!" The guy shouted when the duel disk really did hit him in the arm making him lose his chopsticks.

Joey glared at the guy beside him, "What're you talking about man! This duel disk is part of my arm, if you don't like it why don't you just cut my whole arm off!" He loved his new duel disk and he wasn't about to take it off just because someone didn't like it.

"Hey c'mon don't bother the other costumers," The chef spoke up to Joey before things could get nasty. "It wouldn't kill you to take it off for a few minutes."

The blond thought about it for a second before he reached to take the duel disk off. He rather finish his meal without being kicked out of one of his favorite places. Plus he had to remember that he wanted to be a duelist people respected and picking fights was not the way to go. So reaching behind him Joey place his duel disk down on the table so he could finish his meal and get back to dueling.

However Joey's meal would be short lived as not a minute after he placed it on the table to turn back to his food did he get this strange feeling. Peeking behind him he caught sight of the kid just as his duel disk was snatched off the table.

"That punk!" Joey shouted as he threw his money down on the counter for his meal then took off out the door after the kid. "Come back here!"

Just as Joey exited the restaurant, Tea was just about to cross the street with Bakura and Ryou. She spotted the blond blur as he chased some kid who was holding something tightly to his chest. Because Joey was much taller and faster it took but a few strides for him to reach the kid and grab him by his collar.

"Give it up you little jerk!" Joey growled as he held on tightly to the little thief.

* * *

A few minutes later found the thief sitting on a park bench with Joey and the others surrounding him so he couldn't get away. Joey wasn't about to let the kid just walk away from trying to steal his duel disk. He was going to answer for his crime.

"I'm sorry… I'll never do it again…" The kid begged Joey as the blond wanted to know where his parents were so he could let them know what their son was doing.

Joey sighed as he put his duel disk back on his arm so no one could take it again, "Then why'd you steal my duel disk anyway?" He might let the kid off with a warning but he still wanted to know why.

"I was in the tournament today too but for my first duel I fought this guy who was really tough and I lost." The kid confessed with tears in his eyes, "He took my duel disk and all my cards."

'What the heck?!' was Joey's only thought as Tea kneeled down in front of the boy.

"So you wanted to challenge him to another duel using Joey's duel disk?"

"Yeah!" The kid replied to Tea with a nod. "I was going to give it back once I won back my own disk. I'm really sorry." He apologized again as he looked up at Joey.

Joey shook his head, "Man.. that'd never work. A duelist's deck is made of the soul of the guy who put it together. Only that one person can really bring out the power of the deck. You probably would have lost even if you did use my deck." He explained to the kid but he wasn't about to leave the little guy hanging. "But don't worry your problems are over. Cause I'll fight this guy!"

Tea looked up at the blond, "Joey are you sure? Why don't you see how strong this guy is before you fight him?"

"Doesn't matter I won't let him get away with it! I hate guys who steal cards from weaker dudes!" Joey spoke with determination in his voice letting them know that no one would be able to talk him out of it.

The kid got excited as he stood up, "Th-Then you'll beat him for me?"

"Yeah, I'll waste him!"

"Then wait here I'll go get him," The kid replied with a smile before he ran off.

Once he was gone Bakura commented, "Probably won't be seeing him again."

All eyes turn to him as Ryou asked, "Why?"

"I wouldn't be surprised he if swiped a couple of your cards," Bakura stated as he looked to Joey. "You should check your deck." He honestly didn't care if Joey followed his advice or not he was just stating the obvious.

"He's got a point you know, maybe you sho—"

"Man everybody's so cynical nowadays…" Joey interrupted before Ryou could finish his sentence. "C'mon guys you gotta have faith in people. If you can't trust people how can you trust anything. I have faith in my future. I have faith I'm gonna keep winning duels in battle city until I'm at the same place as Yugi…." He expressed putting his heart and soul in his words. "And then I'm gonna duel him. Whether I win or lose I'll know that I can hold my head up high and call myself a duelist."

He would stand right there no matter what anyone else said and wait for the kid to return. However in the meantime he realized something different about the group, "By the way where is Tristan and Duke?"

Tea jumped at the question not quite sure how to answer herself when she didn't even know. "He and Duke went on some kind of trip. They just mentioned they would be back before the tournament was over." She said trying to sum up her talk with Duke.

The thought of Duke and Tristan on a trip together was odd to say the least but Joey wasn't about to dwell trying to figure out Tristan's thought process. He would question the two about their random trip when they got back. Joey had more important things to focus on as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and turned to face his next opponent.

* * *

A moving van pulled outside a small house within a small town in the middle of nowhere. The drive had taken two hours and being stuck on a trip with someone you weren't all that close with could get awkward. Tristan hopped out of the truck as did Duke from the passenger side.

"Man I think my butt went numb during the last bit of that drive."

"Dude I don't want to know nothing about your butt!" Duke said with a roll of his eyes as Tristan stretched from the sitting position he had been in for the last few hours. It hadn't been his idea to travel from Domino to a small town in the middle of nowhere. However Tristan had his reasons and Duke ended up getting dragged along.

Duke looked around them, "Where the heck are we? It's farther out in the sticks than I thought…"

"I already told you, this is Yonezato…"

"I know the name, but why the heck does she live way out here?"

"It was her mother's doing and it's one of the reasons she wants to move to Domino." Tristan explained as he started up the path to a cute little house that he had been to a few times before. If Joey knew where he was at the blond would probably kill him for not letting him in on it. However it wasn't his idea in the first place...

Duke followed Tristan up the path and watched as he knocked on the door. "Are we even sure she is home?"

"Of course, I called this morning to…." Before he could finish that sentence the door opened in a rush and he was tackled by a blur with light brown hair. "Whoa nice to see you again too Serenity."

Serenity Wheeler a beautiful eighteen year old with long brown hair and sparkling honey eyes like her brother smiled a big smile as she looked up at Tristan. Then before Duke even had a second to properly meet Joey's younger sister she left him speechless as she reached up and gave Tristan a kiss right on the lips.

* * *

 **Sakura:** I don't know why but I just felt like I wanted to leave it there. Next chapter we will better introduce Serenity into the story along with finding out her relationship with Tristan. Oh and if you recall a few chapters back, Serenity has already had her surgery so there is no worries about her sight anymore. I came up with a few different reasons for why she goes to Domino besides to see Joey.

 **Yumi: Please Review! Next update will be around November 27th...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** As promised here is the next chapter! Also I would like to thank one of my reviewers for pointing out a grammar error in the last chapter. The mistake was fixed and I also encourage my readers to let me know about simple mistakes and any large ones that you may see. I do read over my chapters before I post them to make sure but some things just slip by.

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Under Siege!**

"We meet again Joey…"

Joey turned around to face his opponent and he wasn't sure how he didn't see this coming. ' _Weevil Underwood the former all japan duel monsters champion.'_ That is before Yugi stomped his bug loving butt into the ground during Duelist Kingdom stealing his title. He would have been happy to not have run into someone like him but an opponent was an opponent. Leave it to someone like him to pick on little kids.

Tea got pissed at the site of Weevil, "Joey, don't give this jerk the honor of fighting him! He tried to throw Yugi's cards into the ocean." She reminded Joey of the time on their way to Duelist Kingdom. Joey was luckily there to stop Weevil but she would never trust the dirty cheat.

Weevil just laughed at that, "Well thank you very much I'm just glad such a cute girl remembers me." Those words caused Tea to feel a majorly grossed out. What she wouldn't give to see Duke or any of her guy friends beat the crap out of the bug duelist.

Joey got his duel disk ready for a fight, "Lemme guess. There's only one reason you could be here and it's not to catch flies. Isn't that right you bug freak?" He hadn't forgotten all the crap Weevil put them through and it was payback time.

"You're smarter than you look, let's duel right here right now unless you're scared." Weevil said with a chuckle.

Ryou could tell there was some bad history between those two, but he still had to ask, "Joey, are you going to fight him?"

Joey nodded, "You bet I am! It's karma, he's the same guy who stole that kid's cards. I'll straighten out his attitude with a beat down!" There was no talking Joey out of it now.

However he had no clue of the scam Weevil had been running, ' _What an idiot… he actually fell for that sob story. He doesn't now that kid was working for me.'_ He thought to himself with a smirk on his face, ' _He doesn't know I've already put one of my own cards in his deck. He should consider it a gift….'_

"He's gotta be up to something!" Tea tried to reason with Joey again and she really wished Yugi was here to talk Joey out of this duel. "Be careful Joey, I don't like that look on his face."

Joey had a look of complete determination on his face as he faced his opponent and said to Tea, "A true duelist doesn't run away from anybody only cowards run away." He was no coward and no matter what he was going to win this duel.

* * *

Around the same time in a small town a good drive from Domino, Duke was just picking his jaw up off the floor. He had just met Joey little sister and at the same time got the shock of his life. Never since he had known the gang had he seen Tristan with a girlfriend or ever once mention one that lived in another town. Not to mention that it happened to be Joey's sister unless this town had a strange way of greeting people.

Serenity pulled away from Tristan and looked to Duke then back to Tristan, "I can tell from his face that you never told anyone about us."

Tristan actually blushed as he rubbed the back of his head due to nerves now. "Well we agreed not to tell Joey until you were in Domino so I figured we would tell the others at the same time as well."

Duke finally found his voice to ask, "Mind explaining what just happened here?"

"Sure, but come on inside. My mother's out of the house for a while." Serenity said with a smile as she invited them in. They followed her inside the small two bedroom home to find boxes filling up the living space. "Sorry about the mess…"

"It's no problem," Tristan assured her as he found his way to the couch and took a seat.

While Serenity quickly went to the kitchen to get some drinks, Duke found a random chair to sit in across from Tristan, "Dude isn't Joey going to kill you for dating his sister!"

Tristan shrugged, "Probably give me a good beating but nothing major. Serenity is a big girl and she can make her own decisions."

"How long has this been going on?" Duke wondered. He knew Joey was overprotective of his little sister from the stories he got from the others.

"Only about a year," Serenity told him as she walked in with a few cans of soda. She passed them out before taking a sit beside Tristan. "It was never anything serious because we lived so far apart. We've been emailing and talking to each other much longer than that."

Tristan took a drink of his soda before he thought it was best to give them both a proper introduction, "Serenity this is Duke Tea's boyfriend. Duke this is Serenity as you know Joey's little sister."

"It's nice to finally meet you in person." Serenity said with smile.

"Likewise," Duke said before he got back to what he was saying earlier, "So explain this all to me again."

Tristan sighed but best thought to get it over with. At least he wouldn't have to worry about this with the others except maybe Ryou and Bakura if they even cared about it. "I met Serenity after Duelist Kingdom, Yugi got a big grand prize for beating Pegasus and he gave all that money to Joey for Serenity's surgery. You remember Joey telling you about her eyes?" He got a nod from Duke and continued, "Well we couldn't visit her as much because she lived so far away and she was moved to a local hospital here to recovery after the surgery. Joey would call and talk to her to see how she was doing trying to reconnect and he wasn't the only one."

Serenity smiled at the memories. "All of Joey's friends would call and keep me company while I was in the hospital. I even got a phone call from Yami one time since I told Joey I wanted to meet the guy who Yugi was crushing on."

Duke did not remember a lot of this but back in their high school days while Yami was trying to get close to Yugi, Duke wasn't as close to the others until they got into college. "So I take it after your eyes got better you and Tristan still stayed in touch."

"Yeah, some of the others didn't call as much which I could understand, but Tristan and Joey always made the effort to call at least once or twice a week." Serenity then nudged Tristan's side, "Although I think Tristan did a lot of that behind my brother's back."

Tristan was getting embarrassed all over again but he tried to hide it. "Moving along, after she got out of the hospital, her mother got her a laptop and she started emailing everyone since it was a lot faster that way."

"We kept in touch and well… I developed a crush on him." Serenity said with a blush remembering all the sweet emails she would get from Tristan. "All the boys around here were never my type no matter how much my mother pushed me to start dating. I would complain to Tristan about it all the time and I don't know what it was but I just kept getting the feeling it was making him jealous."

"I was not jealous…" Tristan argued to which Serenity giggled.

"You were very protective, we will put it like that." Serenity said before she continued explaining, "Anyway we weren't getting anywhere I think Tristan was scared of my big brother, so a year ago I got brave enough to ask him out."

Duke's eyes widen at that, "You got asked out by a girl?"

Tristan growled at Duke, "At least she asked me straight out. You were too scared to even ask Tea, as I recall you used a puzzle…"

"Okay point taken," Duke did not want to remember that, he was just lucky Tea still went for him after something lame like that.

Serenity looked between the two, "Oh I don't remember hearing this you will have to tell me later…"

"No way…"

"Or I can hear it from Tea?" Serenity pointed out to which Duke knew it was a losing battle.

"Fine I'll tell you about it on the way back to Domino…" Duke knew when he had lost. "So you two have been dating for a year?"

Tristan nodded, "I wasn't sure about it being long distance, but we were both willing to give it a try. Then Serenity mentioned after graduating moving to Domino…"

"There were many reasons I wanted to go to Domino though. I had plans to move to Domino after graduating no matter what my mother said not only because I wanted to see Joey again, but also Domino has a small college which I think will be perfect for me. I'm not used to large places and I fear at a much larger college I might get overwhelmed." Serenity explained more showing there was more than one reason, "I would have moved to Domino no matter if I was dating Tristan or not, but we realized now that I would be in Domino we could go on proper dates to see if it was meant to be or if we are better off just friends."

Duke could understand now that he heard the whole story but he still wondered, "What about Joey?"

Tristan was getting nervous all over again and Joey wasn't even there, "No clue what he is going to think about it. For now we just want to surprise him by moving Serenity into Domino without him knowing."

"Thus why I'm here and none of the others," Duke knew since Joey wasn't supposed to know, then Yugi was in the tournament and Yami would not leave his side. Tristan didn't know Ryou and Bakura enough to ask them and Tea he was sure wouldn't want to be trapped in a car for hours with Tristan. That left Duke to help move Serenity's stuff to Domino so it would only take a day.

Tristan stood up, "Yup and we best get a move on if we want to get to Domino before night fall."

* * *

While Tristan and Duke were helping Serenity move, Joey was just about to start his duel with Weevil Underwood. Both duelists stood across from each other, their decks shuffled and ready to go.

Before the duel could start, Weevil had a little wager he wanted to put on the table, "Okay let's do a double wager, two puzzle cards and one rare card…"

' _Both my puzzle cards if he beats me I'm out of the tournament,'_ Joey thought but he wasn't about to back down from a challenge. If he beats Weevil he would be even closer to going to the finals, "I'll agree to that."

Joey drew his first card, "I'll go first!" He summoned his panther warrior in attack mode, "A super tough four star monster. I won't lose to no bug!"

Weevil didn't look nervous at all as he started his turn and placed one card face down and then summoned his skull mark ladybug in defense mode.

"You call that a monster? What a wimp!" Joey started up in his trash talk mode. "Always bugs, don't you ever try anything else."

' _Talk while you can, once my super insect duck is through with you, you'll have to boast through six feet of earth!'_ Weevil evilly thought in his head as he ended his turn.

On his next turn, Joey started out by summoning his little winguard in attack mode. Then he moved into his battle phase by sending panther warrior on the attack to take out Weevil's ladybug. One hit and the ladybug went down.

"Good move Joey!" Tea cheered from the side lines.

"No," Ryou and Tea turned as Bakura spoke up his eyes never leaving the duel, "Weevil let Joey defeat the ladybug so he would use its special ability to increase his life points."

The two looked toward the field to see he was right. Weevil gained five hundred life points much to Joey's frustration. Tea turned back to Bakura and said, "I didn't know you played duel monsters."

"I don't I just know the game."

Tea was taken back by the blunt remark while Ryou just sighed his boyfriend was most definitely not a people person.

Back to the duel Weevil had just summoned his pinch hopper in defense mode to protect his life points on his turn, "Be my guest! Attack me Joey!" He urged the other duelist.

' _What a pest!'_ Joey cursed under his breath as he looked at his cards, _'But if I sacrifice my two monsters on this turn, I can summon a high level monster. I have Jinzo in my hand and if I play it I'll be immune to his traps and plus it's got really high attack points.'_ For now he started his turn by drawing his next card and his eyes widen at what he saw. ' _What is this card!'_

In Joey's hand was a card called Parasite Paracide and as far as the duelist remembered he never put a card like that in his deck. ' _This isn't my card! What's it doing in my deck?'_

Weevil could see the look on Joey's face and it just caused him to grin in glee. ' _Looks like he drew my card…. The moment you draw parasite paracide you're forced to play it.'_

Without even placing it on his duel disk, the card appeared on his side of the field. Once on the field the card came to life and these bug like tentacles came shooting out and attacking Joey's monsters. Joey's monsters started changing as these gross parasites took over their bodies leaving them a mess but still on the field.

Joey couldn't even believe what just happened, "My monsters turned all gross! They've got tentacles and stuff coming out of them!"

Weevil couldn't stop laughing, "As long as I have a parasite card, every monster you play will be infected with a flesh eating worms!"

Ryou was lost as he looked to Tea, "I don't get it, why would Joey put a card like that in his deck…?"

Tea shook her head, "That's not Joey's card."

"Weevil!" Joey shouted pretty pissed off that someone messed with his deck, "You creep! Did you do that to my deck?"

"You realized too late!" Weevil continued to chuckle pleased with himself, "A truly brilliant strategist starts his strategy before the battle. My deck has ultimate power over insects. I can make them do whatever I want. The parasite monsters on your side of the field are considered insects too. There's no way you can win!"

"Weevil you little…." There were so many names Joey wanted to call Weevil but held back due to being in a public place. He couldn't believe he let this happen.

"You can't change your deck now Joey. It's your fault for not double checking your cards before the duel." Weevil reminded him, "You lost before the game even started. Both fields are now filled with insect monsters. Isn't it a great feeling?"

Tea was not as nearly as mad as Joey, but was still pissed off. "That bug-eyed jerk! He always cheats! If this keeps up, every monster Joey plays will be turned into an insect monster."

However Joey was a true duelist he wasn't going to let something like this hold him back. He was going to swash Weevil like the bug he was for pulling a stunt like this. The crazy thing was now he was going to have to figure out a way to get the parasite card out of play. ' _Even though they've been turned into parasites their attack and defense points stay the same. I should be able to sacrifice them to summon a high level monster… maybe it's not as bad as I thought.'_ It was good to know that as he started his turn, "You ready? I'll sacrifice two four star monsters on this turn! Prepared to get killed! Meet …Jinzo!"

Both monsters he had stayed on the field showing that while his monsters didn't lose attack or defense points, they couldn't be sacrifice.

Weevil was having too much fun watching Joey suffer, "Tough luck! You can't sacrifice a monster that's been infected. In other words… as long as my parasite card remains active you can't summon a high level monster." But as an afterthought added, "You can at least do a normal attack you know…"

"You asked for it…!" Joey growled as he got sick of this bug freak and sent his Panther warrior and little winguard on the attack. Not knowing he had just played right into Weevil's trap.

"Tough luck again! Face down card insect barrier!" Weevil revealed his face down card stopping Joey's attack. A web like barrier appeared on Weevil's side of the field protecting his bugs and himself from any attacks by insects. The bug lover wasn't done yet with gloating as he said, "Now do you get it? Parasitic insects constitute more than fifty percent of your monsters body mass… so whatever affects insects affects them. As long as I have the insect barrier, they can't hit me! And oh look… its permanent!"

"Joey!" Tea shouted she was really worried about him. He looked about ready to throw in the towel, but that wasn't the Joey she knew. No matter how tough it looked he could always make it through anything. He just needed a push and she knew just want to say to give him that push. "Joey! If you close your eyes then you've really lost!"

Joey's eyes snapped open as he heard those words and remembered his little sister. He had always told her to never be afraid and to keep her eyes open. She had to fight to keep her sight just like Joey was going to fight to win this duel. He would continue to make his sister proud, plus he promised someone he would make it to the finals. Looking back at Tea he asked, "Don't be stupid, do you really think I'd give up? I was just thinking of a way to beat this freak show."

Tea nodded, "Good." That was the Joey she knew.

Looking back toward his opponent, Joey was fighting with a whole new fire, "It's your turn bug boy!"

"Don't you ever give up?" Weevil mumbled under his breath as he drew a card. "I'll play a spell card Insecticide!" He placed it on the field but informed Joey, "This card will kill any insect no matter how powerful but don't worry Joey I won't destroy one of your monsters. When my pinch hopper is placed in the graveyard I get to draw one insect card from my hand…"

A giant hand carrying bug spray appeared from the spell card and attacked Weevil's own monster. With the pinch hopper destroyed Weevil began his next phrase, "Pinch hopper goes to the graveyard and I get to play the highest level insect monster in my hand. And that card is this!"

The card Weevil played on the field produced the best insect card out there in Duel monsters. The Insect Queen appeared on the field as a cross between a spider and a queen bee. She was huge and completely deadly. Weevil was pleased to have summoned her so easily and he couldn't wait to tell Joey the best part, "The queen increases her attack points by the number of insects on the field. And that includes your infested monsters!"

With three monsters on the field that were insects the Queen's attack points went up to thirty four hundred and of course Weevil wasted no time in sending her on the attack taking out Joey's little winguard. This sent Joey's life points down to two thousand.

"In addition the queen lays an egg for every monster she defeats and a new insect monster will be born." Weevil informed him as his Queen did just that so even though Joey's monster was no longer on the field the new insect baby meant her attack points would not go down. The new egg didn't take long to hatch as a new insect lava appeared out of the egg with twelve hundred attack points. "It doesn't have any defense or much offense but it makes a fine solider for the queen. I'll fill up the field with these little cuties!"

' _If he gets anymore insects I won't have a chance…'_ Joey thought as he drew his next card. ' _What am I thinking? I can't even attack him. Even if I play a new monster it'll just turn into an insect and make the queen stronger…'_ There was not much else he could do so he played a face down card and ended his turn.

Bakura felt like slapping himself, "Dude you just make the biggest rookie mistake in his game…"

Joey felt like he was missing something until he noticed his panther warrior was still in attack mode. He was so worried about trying to beat Weevil that he forgot to protect himself from the Insect Queen's next attack.

"Too late, you already said 'turn over'. All your monsters are in attack mode no call backs!" Weevil said with a smirk watching Joey kick himself over just a rookie mistake. "As duelists go you're like one of the just hatched baby worms!"

Joey watched Weevil and could see the gears turning in his head. He had a feeling he knew where this was going as Weevil did just as predicted on his next turn.

"Alright my Queen attack his Panther Warrior!"

"I guessed right!" Joey announced just after Weevil called his attack. "I knew you wouldn't attack Paracide until the end 'cause it used to belong to you. So I set a trap on Panther Warrior."

Weevil looked shocked and both nervous not knowing what Joey had planned. "Y-You left them in attack mode on purpose to lure me into your trap."

"You got it!" Joey said and whether he had meant to do that or not no one would ever know. "Trap card activate! Magic Arm Shield!" The shield that appeared on the field attached to Panther Warrior. Then spring loaded arms came out of the shield to snatch up the little lava and bring it to Joey's side as a shield for Panther Warrior.

"Y-You took my insect lava!" Weevil cried as his queen was forced to attack her young. Since the insect lava was his monster his life points went down to twenty three thousand.

"What's the matter? You're not so tough after all bug face!"

Weevil wasn't going to take that lying down as he shouted, "I still have the queen! The terror has just begun! This is the ultimate insect combo Joey!"

Joey wasn't going to let that rattle him anymore as he took his turn. He still had to deal with Weevil's Insect Queen in order to win the duel. ' _Even if I summon another monster it'll just be turned into an insect by parasite paracide and strengthen the queen. Plus my monsters can't even attack as long as Weevil's insect barrier is up. What can I do…?"_

While Joey was trying to figure it out, Weevil was trying to throw him off his game, "Joey your deck consists of warriors and beast-warriors doesn't it? My parasites can feed off almost any humanoid or animal. They'll crawl into any card you play!"

There wasn't anything Joey could do on this turn, so he put all his monsters in defense to at least protect his life points before ending his turn.

"That's right there's nothing you can do!" Weevil started his turn and summoned Solider Ari in defense mode to increase his Queen's power. "Now my Queen attack Panther Warrior again!"

With nothing to stop the attack, Panther Warrior fell to the Queen leaving Joey with only the Parasite Paracide card on his side. ' _That rotten Weevil… He's not attacking Parasite Paracide. He's going to keep it on the field for the whole game, so my monsters are always insects.'_ Joey watched as the Queen laid another egg after having beat Panther Warrior. ' _The Queen's getting stronger and stronger. What do I do? I can't use magic shield anymore… on Weevil's next turn its game over for sure.'_

"Now I've got you Joey. Make your last turn good!" Weevil laughed already knowing there was nothing Joey could do.

Although things looked bleak Joey wasn't going to let his future be blinded. He would find a way like one of his favorite duelist would and drew his next card. Looking at it his eyes widen at what he was able to draw.

"Tough luck! Any monster you summon will become an insect and as long as I have insect barrier you can't do a thing! There's no way you can win Joey!" Weevil yelled at him trying to rattle Joey.

Joey wasn't going to fall for something like that as he kept his poker face on and prepared his turn, "You never know Weevil. Y'see I found a weakness in your insect combo." As if to prove his point he played a face down card on the field and then summon… "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

"You fool your warrior is just food for worms!" The worm tentacles went to go after the Iron Knight but to Weevil's shock they couldn't attack the Iron Knight to infect him. "What! It didn't work?"

It was Joey's turn to smirk as he found the perfect monster for this duel, "Gearfried is an Iron Knight like a robot. Not even a parasite can live inside a chunk of iron and since Gearfried's not a bug, he can break through your insect barrier!" He sent his monster on the attack taking out the larva that the Queen just laid. It took Weevil's life points down to seventeen hundred and making Weevil even more pissed off.

"Joey! Are you prepared to pay the price for angering the queen?" Weevil shouted looking madder than the Queen did, "I will now show you insect deck's deadliest move the Queen Impact!" He moved his Solider Ari into attack mode then activated the magic card 'multiplication of ants'. "Now I have ten army ants. Do you understand what this means?"

Of course Joey could see what that meant as the Queen attack points rose for every ant that was on the field. He watched as the Queen gained attacks points to the point she had sixty six hundred attack points more than enough to wipe him out.

"Kill him, my Queen!"

As soon as those words left Weevil's mouth Joey was ready for him, "Like you said 'you fool'…" He said using Weevil's own words and causing the bug duelist to look nervous now. "Trap activate! Grave robber!"

A little dwarf like creature appeared on the field with a shovel and pickaxe on his back holding a card in his hand. "I just can't stand bugs…" Joey said as the Grave robber turned the card around to reveal Weevil's own card Insecticide. The Grave robber used the card to attack the insect queen killing her in her tracks before she could attack.

"N-N-NO! N-Not M-My Queen!" Weevil cried but the duel wasn't even over yet as Joey sent his own monster on the attack to take out of the rest of Weevil's life points directly. As soon as his life pints dropped to zero he was on the ground in disbelief that he lost. "Y-You're supposed to be an amateur duelist….!"

"That's just what you think," Joey told him as he walked up to Weevil and held out his hand. The bug duelist wasn't happy about it but he was forced to hand over his puzzle cards and Insect Queen to Joey. Afterwards Joey left Weevil were he sat to mope while he rejoined his friends. Four puzzle cards down with only two to go before he could enter the finals.

* * *

 **Sakura:** I think so far only Joey's duels take up only a chapter. Probably not so much when we get to the finals but that's a ways off for now. I hope I explained enough about Serenity in this chapter, I tried to get all the main points across that yes she is dating Tristan now and Joey is about to be surprised in two ways once they get back to Domino. Whether he takes that news good or bad will be a mystery for now.

 **Yumi: Please Review! Next chapter will be around December 11th...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** The holidays are coming up fast and work has been killer, but I was still able to get this chapter updated. Now about updates with the way they are going the next one won't be until the first of the new year. The reason is I checked and the next chapter for this story would be updated on Christmas Day but I won't be able to update on that day. So due to the holidays it will be three weeks instead of two for the next chapter. Don't worry this won't be permanent just until after the new year and things calm back down. Other than that please enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **The Fight of the Millennium**

As the tournament progressed on, the top team of technicians watched from the safety of Kaiba Corp. Once the tournament had begun data from all over Domino came flooding in as duel upon duel took place around the city. Every card played was recorded to watch out for illegal playing cards but also the team looking over all the data were on another mission given to them by their boss.

"Domino City, west block D, two duelists detected…" One of the techs mentioned as he bought up the image on his computer. "Checking duel disk registration number… searching decks…." He sighed and turned to the leader of their team. "No luck, the god card isn't in their decks either…"

"Scan for another duel disk frequency, figure out the next coordinates!" Finding another god card in this tournament should have been easy but so far they were failing their CEO. Either the person was not playing in a duel yet or for some reason the other god card was not in this tournament. Everyone in the room hoped it was the first reason rather than the second.

Before any farther instructions could be given out, the leader of the team took a step back when he looked up and found his boss's faces staring at him from one of the many monitors in the room. The one that had normally been black was now on as Kaiba called to get an update.

"Haven't you found it yet?" Kaiba barked at them, "One of the rare hunters must have the god cards. Where is he?"

"I'm sorry sir…" He quickly apologized, "The duelists have spread all over town. The search will take some time…"

"The ghouls are hiding somewhere in Domino city! They'll eventually sniff out my God of the Obelisk and attack me but I won't let them make the first move." Seto said interrupting his employee before he could finish his excuse. "I'm coming for them first. Contact me as soon as you find them. Got that!"

They never even had a chance to reply as Seto hung up on them. While his team was hard at work at Kaiba Corp, Seto and Mokuba had stopped briefly so the younger could get a drink. While Mokuba was taking a break, Seto figured he would get an update from his team since he had not heard from them yet.

"Still haven't caught the rats huh, big brother?" Mokuba questioned hearing the end of the conversation as he returned. Another drink in hand for his big brother if he wanted it.

Seto wasn't worried as he took the offered drink, "With Kaiba Corp technology it's only a matter of time before we find them. Our game network telecommunications satellite is equipped with the same ground surveillance system as the U.S. Military." He closed his metal briefcase where a built in laptop had been stashed away. One of the many reasons he carried around his briefcase no matter where he was going.

Mokuba was enjoying this all too much as he remembered his big brother telling him about the god cards, "Hehe they'll never guess we have a net spread across the whole sky." Those rare hunters were no match for his brother. And he couldn't wait to see Seto win one off of those losers.

* * *

Fifty miles east of Domino City was Port Othello. It was on the border of a smaller city near Domino and served as the port for all major ships for the areas nearby. Inside one of the holding bays was a lone yacht which belonged to non-other than Marik himself. Both he and his partner exited the ship to find two of his lackeys ready and waiting on them.

Both bowed to their masters as one said, "Lord Marik, we have been waiting." While they were still in their robes showing them as rare hunters, both Marik and his boyfriend had changed on the ship to blend in. Now both clearly in the light it was amazing to see how similar the two looked with the same hair, eye and skin color. About the only difference was the the almost pupil less eyes of Marik and the way his hair spiked up on top his head. Marik was dressed down in tan pants and a black sleeve less top while the other wore tan pants and a purple vest that came to just below his navel showing off his stomach partly as he wore no shirt underneath.

"Is everything ready?" Marik asked of his lackey to which he got quick nods. The other who had been silent hurried to Marik with a duel disk in hand and handed it to his master. "I thought it'd weigh more…" he mumbled as he checked its weight before he handed it to his partner to hold for now. He could see the slightly excited look in his eyes at getting to hold it. If only things were different he would have allowed his partner to be the one to duel, but this was something he had to do.

Walking with one of his rare hunters toward the front of the building he found a lone motorcycle that had been prepared just for them. The large garage like door opening toward the outside world for them.

"I'm surprised that you felt the need to come here personally. Your most skilled rare hunters are already in town awaiting your orders." The rare hunter spoke to his master.

"You don't have to tell me that." Marik barked at his lackey who felt the need to speak out of his place. Not that he had to explain himself to them but he did anyway, "I'm been sitting on the sidelines so long I'm beginning to forget I'm a duelist myself." Taking a seat upon the magnificent bike he turned to his partner being a gentleman and offering his hand to help him on the bike.

"Domino City is about an hour away from here…" The ghoul spoke trying to redeem himself.

Marik scoffed at that, "Then I'll get there in forty minutes. What's Yugi's current location?"

"He's going west along 'e' block…" The other silent ghoul spoke after checking his reports to try and stay on his master's good side.

Marik smiled evilly at that, "I don't want to bore him any longer… I'll fight him before I even get to the city."

"You're going to use the doll?" Exclaimed the more outspoken ghoul.

Marik shrugged like it was nothing, "Yes that's why I've had it waiting in the middle of town for the past two days. Now I'll inhabit it and fight Yugi." He started up the bike just as he felt his boyfriend's arms wrap around his waist. "Let's get this show on the road Malik…"

Without saying a word Malik silently agreed with him and let the other do what he felt was right. He just sat back and enjoyed the ride as they took off for Domino City.

* * *

Just as the ghoul had mentioned Yugi and Yami ended up in 'e' block of Domino. They had traveled off the main roads and walked down into one of the many small embankments that had a small creek running through it. It took them off of the major roads and away from people, cars, and hidden from other duelist for the time being. Honestly it was a welcomed break to Yami after what had happened back with Pandora.

"I just don't understand…." Yugi spoke up where he kneeled down near the water, "What did he mean by 'doll'?" It had been bugging him since he left the card shop and he had yet to figure it out.

"If our enemies are still in hiding we'll just have to wait for them to come out." Yami mentioned although he secretly hoped they stay hidden.

"I can't just wait!" Yugi shouted as he stood up and faced Yami, "The ghouls want to kill us. They could be plotting something horrible as we speak! The pharaoh is trying to get something important back and I can't let them stop him!"

Yami remained silent as he watched his lover speak so passionately about this. Just as he would do anything for Yugi, Yugi in turn would do anything for him or the pharaoh. It was something that would get him in trouble and Yami didn't want to lose Yugi during this tournament.

Yugi looked right in Yami's eyes as he continued. "I never entered this tournament just to win rare cards. The pharaoh is after something really important and he can only do that through us. We have to fight together." Picking up the millennium puzzle and looking down at it, Yugi smiled, "I feel like it's my job to get his memories back no matter what. I honestly don't know what will happen if we success or if he will get to remain with us but I just know that this is the right thing to do."

It took a second for those words to really sink in before Yami was pulling Yugi close to him and burying his face in his little's one hair. The emotions he was feeling were not only his own but the pharaoh's as well as he could feel the gratitude the spirit was feeling for all Yugi was doing for him. His partner was just too much sometimes but his big heart was one of the many things Yami loved.

"Thank you…" Yami said to Yugi what the pharaoh was thinking. There was nothing making Yugi do any of this but he wanted to do it anyway. And no matter what Yami thought of it Yugi was stubborn when he was faced with a challenge.

Yugi smiled too snuggling closer to the man he loved. He wished they could stay like this for just a little bit longer. However there moment was cut short when Yami tensed up out of the blue. Before Yugi could react Yami had turned around keeping Yugi behind him as a figure jumped from the sidewalk above to land but a few feet away from them.

Looking like a stung out teen on drugs, the mime from the park landed in front of Yugi and Yami almost as lifeless as it had been in the park.

"Who are you?" Yami growled out even as he noticed the duel disk on the other's arm.

"So we meet again…" came the familiar voice they had heard through many others but never met the real person behind the voice. The third eye appeared on the mime's head immediately to let the two know who they were now coming face to face with again.

"It's you!" Yugi quickly realized as he once again heard Marik's voice. This had to have been the one he had been talking about before.

"That's right Yugi, this is my doll, the doll that will fight you in my stead. A doll with Slifer the sky dragon…" The mime looked toward Yami, "This is the final round of a battle which has lasted one thousand years. Will the vessel please stay out of it…?"

Yami raised an eyebrow as if silently asking if Marik was talking about him, must have been as Yugi placed a hand on Yami's arm to get his attention. "This is fate. I can't avoid it…"

"Just be careful…" Yami warned him knowing he was going to have to let Yugi fight once again. He gave the hand on his arm a gently squeeze before moving back out of the way.

Despite the slightly scary look of the weird doll in front of him, Yugi was going to give it his all. He prepared his duel disk, "Your doll's seen better days, Marik. Not the most dignified bearer for a god card."

"This mime went mad years ago when he killed his parents. Out of guilt he locked his consciousness away… He doesn't have a shred of emotions left, an empty vessel so to speak!" Marik informed them, "But for me, there is no better weapon."

Not the information Yugi wanted to hear but of course Marik appeared just as sick and twisted, "You use your millennium item to brain wash people. I won't let you get away with it."

Marik just laughed at that, "The human mind is even more fragile than the body. People are influenced by what they see and read, out of that, people can create an entire split personality. Others even think they hear god…" He explained while also adding "When my overwhelming charisma and dominance combines with a person's internal image of 'god' it's easy to control anyone. That's the power of the millennium rod. My mind utterly dominates them… their thoughts, their senses, their memoires." The mime was looking straight at Yugi as Marik's next words were said, "If I win this duel, this doll will kill you. That's just its program. No matter where you hide, this doll will pursue you until you die. It won't stop until it catches you."

"You can catch me…" Yugi said with a smirk of his own as he then added, "But can you beat me?"

That question went left unanswered as the mime drew its first card. "Let this duel begin little Yugi. Are you ready?" Of course Marik wasn't expecting an answer as his doll played one card face down and then summoned Humanoid slime in attack mode.

' _Only eight hundred points, but he's playing it in attack mode. He's obviously trying to lure me to attack to make me fall for some kind of trap,'_ Were Yugi's thoughts as he tried to plan out his strategy. It was his turn now and he had to be careful in order to win and hopefully avoid the doll summoning his god card. Deciding to play it safe for now, Yugi played one card face down and then summoned Gazelle in attack mode.

As Yugi ended his turn the doll's turn began, "No attack? You're being awfully cautious or should I say cowardly? You won't be able to beat me like that…" Marik taunted but it did not seem to faze Yugi, "At least don't die until you see Slifer the Sky Dragon with your own eyes." The doll then began its turn by drawing a card.

First up the doll summoned Worm Drake in attack mode and then played a spell card that Yugi knew well. "Polymerization to fuse my monsters together and then summon the combine form Humanoid Drake!"

It was a pretty hideous creature but that wasn't what worried Yugi the most. ' _Twenty two attack points… He polymerized two monsters into a stronger monster and it's only his second turn.'_ The good thing was the new monster couldn't attack in the same turn so Yugi was safe for now.

"Oh can't it?" Marik stated as if reading Yugi's mind. He was pleased with Yugi's shocked look as he revealed his plan to the other duelist. "Do you see my face-down card? The card you thought was a trap? Well it wasn't…" He active the spell card quick attack.

' _His monster's speed is increased… it'll be able to attack on this turn!'_

"I don't fear my opponent's cards. I'm not the type of duelist who plays it safe and never attacks unless he's sure he has the upper hand. I'm not a coward like you who's afraid of one face-down card!" Marik laughed as he sent his monster on the attack.

However now it was Yugi's turn to chuckle stopping Marik in his tracks. "Marik... I knew from the moment you played Humanoid slime that you were going to use it as a fusion monster. After all unlike sacrifice summon with polymerization summon you can play a monster with high attack points without wasting a turn." Yugi then revealed his own card to show Marik the spell card de-fusion.

Right before their eyes the two creatures that were once one, then turned into two. Which left them both open for an attack and that is just what Yugi did as he sent his Gazelle on a counter strike to kill Humanoid slime. Marik's life points dropped to thirty three hundred from that one move.

"Well Marik? I'm sure you've already planned your next move but I've planned for the move after that." Yugi said showing Marik he wasn't the least bit afraid of him.

At first it appeared the doll was speechless until Marik's chuckle came through along with, "So you predicted I'd use polymerization. You're making this quite enjoyable Yugi."

"Your moves are too weak to touch my life points. Sorry Marik…" Yugi normally wouldn't try to taunt or trash talk his opponents but this guy just got on his nerves.

"I was just testing the waters on that turn. I cast a pebble to see how big a ripple it would make and to measure your skill as a duelist."

"That won't even make a ripple."

Marik chuckled again, "If a duelist is a vessel, a strategy is like water poured into that vessel. The water takes the shape of the vessel and if the vessel is shallow you can see the bottom. But the rumors don't lie. You have quite a talent Yugi. You are a duelist with depth." He had to admit but Yugi would not stand a chance against the all mighty Slifer the Sky Dragon. "Let's continue the duel Yugi."

"It's my turn," Yugi stated as he drew his next card. He already had a plan in motion once he saw the card in his hand and prepared to summon another monster. Once two were in play on the next turn he could sacrifice and bring an even stronger creature to the field. For now he would have to settle for summoning Beta the Magnet Warrior on that turn. "Gazelle destroy Worm Drake…."

Gazelle did as told and destroyed Marik's only defense bringing his life points down another hundred points. Then Yugi ended his turn waiting to see what Marik would pull next.

' _You're the one who's being cornered…'_ Marik thought not in the least bit worried about having a low level monster be destroyed. He forced his doll to start his turn by drawing a card. ' _Yugi… I likened strategy to water earlier didn't I…? I'll show you that strategy right now. At times water can become a shapeless shield to protect against anything and at other times it can become a sword to pierce an opponent's heart.'_ Forcing his pawn to play his next card, Marik had him summon a creature known as Revival Jam in defense mode.

It was easy to see the gears turning in Yugi's head trying to figure out why Marik would summon a creature like that, but Marik wasn't going to leave him in the dark for long. "And now it's time to turn on my Jam Breeding Machine!" He announced having his doll play the card he spoke of. A giant metal machine appeared on the field behind revival jam. "This device produces one slime on every turn. But as long as this device is on the field, I can't summon any other monsters…."

Sure it seemed like a dumb move to pull since now Marik couldn't summon any other monsters, but Yugi knew better than that. ' _So that's his plan. He's going to keep summoning slimes until he has enough to sacrifice them for a max-level monster. He's going to summon Slifer!'_ It was a card Yugi had only heard about and had no clue what it could do. There was no telling if he had a card to counter it. ' _I'll just have to kill him before he can play it….'_

' _It's no use… now that my combo has begun, the advent of Slifer cannot be stopped and all it takes is three more turns.'_ Within the hand of the doll was the one card Yugi feared at the moment just waiting to be played.

Knowing he had to end this and fast, Yugi began his turn. First he sacrificed both his current monsters to summon a new stronger player to the field. "Behold the Dragon Slayer… Buster Blader!" Of course that didn't end his turn as he sent his warrior on the attack to take out Revival Jam.

At first it had appeared to have worked, but Marik was not worried one bit as his creature right before Yugi's eyes started to pick itself back up after the attack. Watching Yugi's stunned face as Revival Jam returned to its original shape, Marik decided to explain a few things, "This is the regenerative power of revival jam. No matter what you do, it will not die. You might as well attack a pool of water."

' _It can regenerate!'_ Not only was Yugi shocked by this but Yami as well. He had been silently watching the duel hoping that Yugi would win the duel quickly. However it seemed now it would not be so easy.

"Didn't I tell you? It is a shapeless invincible shield. As long as the Jam remains, your monsters can't touch me…" Marik ordered his minion to take its turn and as soon as he did the machine produced its first slime with five hundred attack points. "The slimes created by the breeding machine are weak. Only five hundred attack points. If you were to attack them, you could do me a lot of damage, so in order to prevent that…" The doll played a new card on the field. "Nightmare Steel Cage!"

Yugi and Yami watched in more surprise as a large dome steel cage covered both Yugi and his monster leaving them locked away. Marik was just grinning behind his doll enjoying every minute of this. "The cage is strong. Now we can't fight each other for three turns."

' _No! He's going to use those turns to generate more slimes!'_ Now Yugi knew he was in trouble as he couldn't do anything to stop Marik from gaining the creatures he needed for Slifer.

"That's right even though I can't attack you, I can still build up my forces." Marik stated knowing just what Yugi was thinking by the look on his face. As the new turn started another slime was born bringing him even closer to summoning Slifer. "By next turn I'll have all the monsters I need..."

At this point there was no preventing it and Yugi knew that. The doll had to have had Slifer in his hand if he had gone to all this to protect those slimes. Yugi could only draw and end his turn.

"Well, Yugi? What do you feel now that you're locked up imprisoned in that steel cage? Humiliation? Despair? Sorrow?" Marik sneered he watched the ones before him wanting all to feel the same pain he had been going through, "That's how I've felt my whole life! That is the fate of the Tomb Guardians." Now it was time for his revenge and to finally be free.

' _There's got to be something he can do! It can't end like this!'_ Yami stressed and he could feel the pharaoh agreeing with him, but they couldn't interfere with the duel until it was over. They could only watch and pray Yugi would make it out of the duel alive.

Another slime was bought forth finally giving Marik his three slimes that he needed. Thus the machine was useless as Marik got rid of it. The doll then sacrificed all three of the slimes… "Don't turn away Yugi, this is Slifer!" He announced as the doll played the card down on the disk.

Lightening appeared to have come out of nowhere as the sky darkened around them. As the lightening flashed again something else came down with it. A giant red snake like dragon with two mouths appeared around the doll with his one of his mouths opened toward Yugi as if to attack. Yugi could only stare at the large beast as something else flashed before his eyes.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Well that's it for that chapter, next time there will be something very interest at the beginning before I continue on with this duel. I always have a strategy for leaving these chapters at weird places, but there is always a point behind it.

 **Yumi: As mentioned at the start of this chapter the next chapter won't come out until Jan. 1 of the new year. Please review and Happy Holidays!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Happy new year everyone! Now that all the craziness that comes along with Christmas is out of the way and a new year is here it's time to relax a little. Updates will be the same, every other week because it still works out for me and my work schedule. Other than that no other news to report. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **A Duelist's Power**

As the sky god appeared out of the sky onto the field to serve the mindless doll, the duel King across from it was stricken with fear. He stood there staring at it as if he wasn't even sure what to do. Yugi was trapped within the Nightmare Cage and it was the only thing saving him from an attack from Slifer.

"That's right; this is one of the three Egyptian God cards! Take a good look at its power!" Marik said laughing evilly. Just the look on Yugi's face was priceless.

' _I can't move… and it's not just this steel cage…'_ Yugi was frozen in fear by the beast before him. He could feel the power pouring from Slifer. ' _How can I ever beat this thing? It's like the whole world shakes when it moves…'_ While there was also the fear of the god before him, there was something else there that Yugi couldn't quite place. There was a since of déjà vu as he looked at the almighty Slifer like he has already met him before.

He could almost see the scenery around him changing to that of a temple with stone pillars and ancient carvings on the wall. It was like looking through the eyes of someone else as he remained hidden behind another figure whose face was covered in shadows. The figure turned and was saying something Yugi couldn't understand while he reached out to touch the dragon. Slifer seemed more peaceful there than on the dueling field and while Yugi was terrified of the god before him, in this new place he was not as he slowly with baby steps followed the other person's lead and reached out to the dragon.

The laughter from Marik awoke Yugi from his thoughts not having a clue what had just happened to his opponent once he summoned Slifer. "No one can beat it! Every duelist is powerless against Slifer's infinite attack power. Even you Yugi…." He spoke not having any clue that Yugi had been zoned out just a second before.

' _Infinite power!'_ Yugi thought worriedly the strange sense of déjà vu gone as he was one hundred percent back to the present.

"The sky dragon's attack points equal one thousand times the number of cards in the player's hand. Right now my little doll has three cards so the dragon has three thousand attack points…"

' _What?! Its attack points are based on the number of cards in the players hands?!'_ This was going to make things hard for Yugi as he knew on Marik's next turn he would have four cards in his hands. ' _According to the rules of duel monsters a player's hand can have a maximum of seven cards. In other words it's possible for Slifer to get up to seven thousand attack points…!'_

Marik knew Yugi knew that Slifer could get up to seven thousand points, but there was something Yugi didn't know. "I know what you're thinking Yugi. But I said infinite power. I have a card in my hand that can increase Slifer's power even more." He of course wasn't going to give it away yet, until that certain card was played. Plus Yugi didn't know about Slifer's other special ability. However it was Yugi's turn for now, "After the end of your next turn, the nightmare steel cage will disappear… at that moment you will be vulnerable to Slifer. Now Yugi, make your move."

Yugi looked to his partner and could see the worried look on Yami's face without him saying anything. His friends would normally be cheering him on right about now, but he loved Yami's silent support. He knew his lover wanted him to think carefully and focus on his moves. That is just what Yugi was going to do as he looked down at his hand. ' _Right now, Slifer has three thousand attack points. My Buster Blader gains five hundred attack points for every dragon on the opponent's side of the field that makes three thousand and one hundred attack points. If I attacked right now I could kill Slifer but I can't do anything as long as I'm surrounded by this steel cage and on his next turn Marik can draw another card and Slifer's attack points will go up again…'_

"What's wrong Yugi?" Marik spoke up cutting Yugi from his thoughts and throw him off his game. He could see the gears turning as Yugi tried to think up the best way to go about this duel, but nothing he did would save him. "Has the terror paralyzed you to the point that you can't draw a card? You can't fight me because of the steel cage, but you can still play a face-down card or summon a monster. You can at least pretend not to give up, can't you?" The wait was over it was time to move on with this duel. "Now! Let me see you struggle in the cage! Let me see you squirm and shake as you futilely try to defend yourself!"

Those words put a fire back in Yugi as he would never think of giving up. To prove it he drew his next card determined not to lose that fight. Adding the new card to his hand he took a moment to think of the best way to go about his turn. ' _There has to be a way that I can beat Slifer with these cards. He has Slifer the sky dragon and the revival jam in defense mode and one face down card…'_ It was to the point that Yugi felt like he might be over thinking it as he looked at his cards. There was one combo that could work and he was going to have to put all his faith in his cards. Finally making his move Yugi put two cards face down and then summoned Kuriboh in defense mode.

"And now, the steel cage will finally disappear. The steel cage that protected you until now," Marik stated the obvious as Yugi's turn ended and the steel cage started to disappear around him. "Now it's my turn…" He had his puppet draw a new card which rose Slifer's power up to four thousand and as soon as his dragon was powered up he wasted no time in sending him on the attack.

Slifer unleashed a giant ball of lightening from his mouth heading straight for Buster Blader. However Marik had attacked blindly as Yugi had a face down card ready for that attack. "Reveal face down card! Light force sword!"

A sword appeared on the field for a brief moment above the doll before it shot forward and took out one of the cards in the doll's hand. The card was no longer in play and it appeared Marik knew what that meant by the angry growl sent Yugi's way. As Slifer's attack points dropped down to three thousand, Buster Blader was able to dodge the attack and go for a counter attack.

' _Yes!_ ' Yami thought with a smile as Yugi went for the attack. ' _He can defeat Slifer._ ' Marik wouldn't take a large hit in life points but Slifer would be no more.

Sadly Yugi's victory would have to wait as Marik wasn't finished yet as he said, "Not so fast!" Before all their eyes revival Jam moved in front of the large god and took the attack.

"What?" Yugi gasped as he watched the slime takes it places which should not have been possible unless…

"You triggered my face down card," Marik informed him as he reveal the trap card Jam Defender, "And revival jam will regenerate and be summoned on the field once more." He stated as the slime did just that before Marik continued on with his turn. "And at this moment I activate another spell card, card of safe return. This is a permanent spell card that allows me to draw three new cards every time my slime regenerates and since I have five cards…"

There was no point in finishing his sentence as with now five thousand attack points Slifer attacked again taking out Buster Blader with no problem that time. With the warrior defeated Yugi's life points finally dropped from four thousand to twenty one hundred. All while Marik was laughing and stating, "You can't defeat god, Yugi!"

* * *

Meanwhile somewhere in town, Seto had been looking out for another opponent when he received a call from his office. Taking a moment to stop and take the call he found it to be some very interesting news.

" _Mr. Kaiba we have detected the location of a rare hunter with a god card. The place is three hundred and fifty west block 'e' and sir you're not going to believer his opponent…"_

"Who?" The question was short and to the point. He didn't have time for games he didn't care who the rare hunter was fighting so long as he was next to face him.

" _The duelist is Yugi Mutou…"_

Of course that certainly got his attention as Mokuba watched his big brother turn and head back the way they came. Oh this was definitely going to be interesting especially when his brother tried to call their other brother Yami who was for some reason was not answering his phone. So there were times when Mokuba found it hard not to laugh as Seto cursed Yami for not answering his cell.

* * *

"Come on Yugi it's your turn!"

Yugi looked at the field and knew the situation wasn't good for him. ' _I have Kuriboh in defense mode and one face down card…'_ He looked down at his hand and realized that none of those cards could help him. However he hadn't drawn his next card yet and if it wasn't something that could help him then the duel would be over sooner. There was no use delaying his turn as he put his faith in his card and drew his next one.

' _Magic Cylinder… I need a spell caster in play to control this card…'_ Yugi knew the new card could come in handy but in order to use it he would need the spell caster he had in his hand on the field. Pulling her from his hand he knew what he had to do. "I offer Kuriboh as a sacrifice and summon the Dark Magician Girl."

"You summoned a new servant and that activates Slifer's special power." Marik announced as soon as the new monster appeared on the field in defense mode. Before Yugi could begin to understand what he was talking about Slifer opened up its second mouth to attack with. "When the opponent summons a monster on their turn, Slifer deals it two thousand points of damage. The opponent himself isn't harmed but if the card is in attack mode, it loses two thousand attack points. If it's in defense mode and it has less than two thousand defense points it's instantly destroyed."

' _A monster that attacks on the opponent's turn!'_ Yugi knew what would happen if Dark Magician Girl was destroyed and he wasn't going to go down so easily, "Face down card reveal!"

"Your woman's life was cut short…" Marik stated as soon as the attack hit.

"We'll see about that…" Yugi informed him as the smoke cleared and three of his four magical hats remained. If all of them were still around that means his Dark Magician Girl was still safely hidden beneath one of them.

Marik appeared mad at first by the growl he let out by that move, but he quickly covered it up with a chuckle. "I thought I could end your pain quickly but I guess you like being tortured. I wish you the best of luck. Slifer will tear you apart, point by point, piece by piece…. Though it's useless to resist…"

Yugi glared at the doll before him knowing Marik was watching him. He wasn't going to do down without a fight as he took two cards from his hand. He played them both on the field face down before ending his turn.

Marik wasn't blind to see what Yugi was doing as he hid both new cards in the magical hats. No matter what he hid within them nothing could stop Slifer. "It's my turn…" He had his doll draw another card. It was time to start the next part of his plan. "Yugi… right now I have six cards in my hand. According to the rules, a player may have no more than eight cards. Any more cards go in the graveyard but…" Pulling a card from his hand he showed it to Yugi, "If I play this card I can have as many cards as I want."

And that is just what he did as he played Infinite Cards on the field and they all knew that meant Marik could have as many cards as he wanted in his hand. Slifer's power would never decrease only increase with each turn.

' _Starting next turn Slifer's attack points will be over six thousand…'_ Yugi was left speechless once again at the stunt Marik pulled. His combo was deadly with Infinite cards so he could hold as many cards as he wanted. Revival jam to protect Slifer if Yugi were to attack and then whenever revival jam came back Marik would gain three cards thanks to Card of Safe Return. Revival jam could not be killed and both with him protecting Slifer and the gods attack points it appeared impossible for Yugi to ever be able to defeat the god.

Marik did not leave Yugi to his thoughts of the impossible for long as he issued his battle phrase of his turn. Sending Slifer on the attack, the god opened its mouth to issue another strike at the Magical hats. "The hat on the right!"

' _His aim is on the mark!'_ Never before had anyone guessed right with the magical hats. Yugi could not let his Magician die so he cancelled magical hats just as Slifer attack hit to activate one of his hidden face-down cards. Just when Marik thought he had destroyed Dark Magician Girl, the smoke cleared to show her still alive but this time with Magical Cylinders by her side that absorbed the gods attack.

"What is this!" Marik yelled as he found that his attack had not worked.

"I hid two cards in the hat you attacked along with Dark Magician girl!" Yugi told him as he revealed his second face down card spell binding circle. "The curse of the hexagram weakens Slifer and holds it in place."

Slifer's attack points went down seven hundred points bringing him to forty three hundred with spell binding circle. Now with Magic Cylinders Slifer's attack was redirected right back at the weaken god. While Slifer should have died by his own attack there was one small flaw in Yugi's plan.

"If you're thinking you can kill god. One word: no." Marik almost sounded bored by this point as if wondering why Yugi was still trying to fight. "Didn't I tell you? No mortal can raise a hand against the gods."

Once Marik was finished revival jam jumped in the way of the attack saving Slifer before reappearing again. Once the jam reformed the doll was allowed three more cards making Slifer's points go up to seventy three hundred. However that wasn't all as Marik began to speak again, "One more thing. The curse of the hexagram only lasts for an instant against a god. The effects of your magic will disappear in one turn."

Of course there was nothing else Yugi could do thus his turn did end after that attack and the spell was broken. This gave the god another boost bringing his attacks points to where they should be at eight thousand, but it was also the doll's turn now. Once he drew a card Slifer's attack points went up another thousand.

With nine thousand attack points Slifer attacked Dark Magician girl finishing her off for good and leaving Yugi with nothing on his side of the field. The only thing that had saved Yugi on that turn from being defeated was that his magician had been in defense mode. He was still left with twenty one hundred life points and nothing else that could defeat god.

' _I can't win…'_ Yugi thought as for once he was bought to his knees. ' _There's no way to defeat it.. There's no way…'_

"Yugi!" Yami called out to his fiancé having never seen him look so defeat before. This wasn't like him at all. Yugi didn't belong on his knees, Yami wasn't sure how but somehow he knew Yugi would still win. There was this strange feeling and he didn't know whether it was because Yugi would defeat Slifer or he just didn't want to see his partner give up so easily.

"Get on your feet, Yugi!"

Yugi and Yami's head turned to the sidewalk above them and were surprised to find Seto and Mokuba standing there. There was no telling how long those two had been there or whether they had just arrived.

"Your life as a duelist doesn't end here! I know you can defeat god!" Seto informed him which made Yami wonder if he had the same feeling he had about the situation. "You are one of the few people I recognize as a duelist! Where's your pride? I won't allow you to lose miserably while I watch." That or it was Seto's weird way of being nice.

"Yugi! You have to play my brother in this tournament. Don't lose to that bald guy!" Mokuba chimed in which was so like him.

Yami had no clue what got into his siblings but he was glad they were cheering for Yugi and not against him. Of course Seto always had his own agendas but it was nice to see the support.

"Can't you see it Yugi? Our road of battle goes farther than the eye can see. Don't tell me you're going to stop here. If god stands in your way mow him down! Have no regrets!"

Yugi took in their words looking at them and then looking at Yami. He had something that Marik didn't have, friends and family who supported him even in the toughest of moments. Plus he was the King of Games and most importantly he was no quitter until the last card was drawn.

"All right Seto stay right there and watch," Yugi told him as he stood back up and faced the almighty god card. "I am going to defeat god."

Marik on the other hand couldn't believe his luck as Seto Kaiba came to Yugi's rescue. ' _How convenient, Seto Kaiba, the wielder of the last god card, the god of obelisk… after I kill Yugi. It's going to be your turn.'_

No one but Seto knew the real reasons he was in his own way cheering Yugi on. The part of him that saw him as family knew that Yugi was better than this and if anyone could defeat Slifer it was him. While for the most part the duelist side of him like to think that the only person who could and was allow to defeat Yugi was himself. Either way Yugi was not allowed to lose this duel.

Thus the duel commence with Yugi back on his feet and ready to take his turn. There were only two cards in his hand and they were both monsters that wouldn't ever stand a chance against Slifer. ' _I'll have to trust in the next card I draw_.' He drew his card determined for it to be something good and to his luck he got monster reborn. "My turn! I play a face down card and summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode."

Marik chuckled, "The moment you summon a monster, Slifer automatically attacks!" Slifer attacked Big Shield Guardna with summon lightning shot. "No sooner does he show up than Slifer strikes!"

"W-wow…" Mokuba gasped as he witnessed the attack power of Slifer. Big Shield Guardna took a hit but it was still on the field thanks to having over two thousand attack points. "Yugi's monster is safe, but it did two thousand points of damage to him…"

While Seto and Mokuba were impressed by the gods' power, Yugi was still trying to figure out how to beat it. ' _If I run out of monsters, Slifer's attack will hit me dead-on… if that happens, I'm dead. How can I overcome the infinite power of a god card?'_

Not leaving Yugi with much time to figure things out, Marik forced his doll to start his turn. The doll drew another card making Slifer even stronger. "Now I have ten cards in my hand and Slifer has ten thousand attack points…"

"T-Ten thousand… Seto his dragon gets stronger for every card he has in his hand!" Mokuba was both impressed by the dragon but mostly scared for Yugi. He had taken note of Yugi's opponent's combo and it was a deadly one alright, "Plus he played infinite cards, so there's no limit to how big his hand is. Big brother how can Yugi beat a monster with infinite attack points?" He wondered if Yugi could really get through this duel alive.

' _Infinite cards…'_ Yami had heard what Mokuba said as he took another look at the doll's deadly combo. He didn't even listen to see if his twin had replied to their little brother as he tried to see if there was something they were missing. That one reminder about that deadly card seemed to trigger something and he could feel the pharaoh becoming restless. ' _Something you want to say?'_

' _No matter what Marik says nothing is infinite… Take a look at the doll's deck…'_

Yami eyes moved toward the other player's duel disk and his eyes widen. There was a rule in duel monsters that seemed to hit him in the face. They had been blind due to the fear that they all felt from Slifer's power and that he was sure was throwing Yugi off his game. "Yugi!" He called out to his partner and waited until he had Yugi's eyes on him before he told him, "Nothing is infinite! That's just god's deception!"

' _Nothing is infinite…'_ Those words played around in Yugi's head even as Slifer attacked his monster and destroyed it.

"What are you two blabbing about?" Marik laughed as Yugi was left defenseless once again. "God's power is infinite!"

For a second Yugi didn't say a word until a new fire could be seen in his eyes as he looked up at his opponent and smirked, "I see… I know how to beat Slifer." He briefly winked at his lover to let him know he got the message before he decided to give Marik the bad news. "My next turn will probably be the last turn of our duel. At the end of the turn, only one of us will be left standing… you or me… that will be the winner."

"Have you lost your mind?" Marik felt the need to ask, "Are you saying there's a way you can dig yourself out of your grave in one turn?"

"There is!"

That look in Yugi's eyes and that simple reply was enough to shock Marik speechless. ' _He's lying…There's no way for him to get out of my trap._ ' However he couldn't explain this overcoming feeling of slight worry he could feel like something wasn't about to go his way.

He wasn't the only one feeling worry as Mokuba tried to figure out what his big bro and Yugi had figured out. ' _He can't win unless he beats Slifer and Slifer has ten thousand attack points. There's no way! No card that strong…!'_ He turned to his taller brother, "S-Seto…"

"Quiet Mokuba, don't say anything." Seto hushed him as he too figured out what Yugi's plan might be. "Just watch closely… This is the power of a true duelist."

"This is it! My last turn!" Yugi announce as he drew his final card, he didn't even have to look at it for long as his smirk turned into the biggest smile. "Marik… I win."

"What?" Marik shouted not sure what useless card Yugi could have drawn. Nothing could beat Slifer!

Yami was practically beaming with pride wishing the duel was already over so he could hug his cute little partner. He knew Yugi would figure it out and the heart of the cards would always be there for him when he needed it to be. Now all he had to do was play that card and end the duel.

Yugi knew the others were just waiting on him to finish this, so he started his turn by playing monster reborn. "With this card I bring back my fallen warrior Buster Blader!"

Marik was not impressed, "So you're going to bring him back from the dead in defense mode just so I can kill him again? That'll only save you for one turn."

"Did you say defense mode? Sorry Marik but your wrong," Yugi happily informed him as he played Buster Blader in attack mode.

Marik was livid by that move. ' _What? Attack mode? He dares to attack Slifer… is he insane?!'_

"Now watch Marik. This is the infinite combo that goes past the limits of god." Yugi pulled one card from his hand prepared to end the duel once and for all.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Next chapter will be the conclusion to Yugi's duel against Slifer and then a few interesting things will be happening next chapter as Marik gets closer to Battle City. We are slowly getting closer to the finals those are going to be the really fun chapters to write.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** I'm back with another chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **Targets**

Yugi played Buster Blader in attack mode with enough confidence that he had even Marik concerned about what he was trying to pull with that move. By the way he declared that he had the perfect move to defeat Slifer, gave the signal that this duel was about to reach its conclusion.

' _Attack mode, what is he thinking?'_ Marik was stressing, ' _Does he actually have some way of making Buster Blader stronger than Slifer?'_

"Marik I just drew the card I need. Now all the pieces are in place for my unstoppable infinite combo."

Of course Marik wasn't going to let Yugi know he was nervous as he laughed those words off. "Infinite? Beyond the limits of god? Are you out of your mind? There's nothing greater than the god cards. I'll prove that to you right now." He reminded Yugi of the cards he still had on the field, "Remember this card I played? This permanent card? Card of safe return! Its effect reaches across the entire field. That means even when you bring a monster back from the dead I get to draw three new cards."

Yugi appeared unimpressed as he let Marik have his spill but he knew what that card meant. And what Marik didn't know is that the card was going to help him, Yugi just wasn't going to say anything yet.

"That's right; you just brought back Buster Blader that means I can draw three new cards from my deck. And each card…" He had his doll draw three more cards giving Slifer one thousand more points. "Slifer gains more attack points! And that's not all; summoning Buster Blader activates Slifer's automatic attack."

Slifer's second mouth opened as it attacked Buster Blader head on. But thankfully Buster Blader had enough attack points to hang out and losing two thousand points of damage didn't kill him but it still left him with eleven hundred attack points. Not enough to defeat Slifer with, but Yugi still had a plan.

"So he still lives, but now his attack points are reduced to eleven hundred." Marik said sounding smug as ever. "Do you still intend to attack Slifer? I'll let you switch to defense mode if you want…"

"Who do you think I am? Buster Blader attacks." Yugi announced not sounding the least bit nervous about his decision.

' _Why Yugi… What are you plotting?'_ It was frustrating Marik to no end because he couldn't tell if Yugi was just trying to be tough til the end or if he really had a way to defeat Slifer.

Mokuba looked back and forth between the two players. He was remaining quiet while they watched, but even he couldn't tell what was going on. ' _I can't figure it out… What's Yugi trying to do?'_

"Here goes my battle phase!" Yugi knew they were all going to think he was crazy but this was the only way. "Go Buster Blader fight Slifer!"

' _Bring it on Yugi you won't know you're dead until it's too late.'_ Marik thought finally thinking Yugi had just simply lost it.

Buster Blader went head on against Slifer ready to attack it when Marik's laughter rang out, "How many times can you make the same mistake? That monster can't even touch a god! Permanent trap activate!"

Just before the attack was to hit Revival jam jumped in the way to protect Slifer, thus Buster Blader killed it in one go. Marik was having too much fun watching Yugi fail again, he had been worried that Yugi might have a plan, but it appeared that wasn't the case. "Did you forget Yugi? As long as my revival jam remains, you can't even reach god-not that you could hurt him if you did. And the jam will come back from the dead."

"I didn't forget," Yugi said with a smirk, "I knew you'd 'jam' my attack and I was waiting for this moment." He watched as the jam started to come back on Marik's side. He pulled one card from his hand and played it on the field. "This is my key card! Spell card, Brain control!"

It started out as chuckles before it turned into full blown laughter as Marik watched Yugi's lame move. He had to calm himself down before he could even speak, "I'm sorry Yugi. Brain control wont' work on god. Slifer attack Buster Blader this is the real end!" It was best to end this once and for all before Yugi made an even bigger fool of himself.

People were so quick to come to conclusions in duels and that was sometimes their biggest down fall. Yugi figured it best to shine some light and reveal his true plan. "Who said I played the card on Slifer?" In quick second Marik was silence with nothing to say to that as if he was confused. "The monster I brain controlled was…"

Instead of on Marik's side of the field Revival Jam appeared on Yugi's side as a new shield for him. By Marik's continued silence Yugi figured he helped Marik out a bit, "That's your cue, Marik. A monster came back from the dead. Draw three cards from the deck using your card of safe return."

' _Fine, you're only helping me by making Slifer stronger…'_ Were Marik's thoughts as he made his doll draw the new cards. Now Slifer had sixteen thousand attack points.

"But before Slifer attacks my monster, the revival jam was just summoned as one of my monsters." Yugi reminded him wondering when Marik would catch on to his plan. "And that activates Slifer's special ability of automatic attack."

Yugi would never heard the curse words Marik was saying in his head as Slifer attacked Revival jam and because it's points were low it was killed with the hit. Marik knew what would happen next as Revival jam started to come back but still on Yugi's side of the field. And once it did…

"And now you have to draw three more cards!" Yugi was sure Marik was catching on now by how silent he was. His doll was doing all the work and looked unfazed but no doubt that wherever Marik was he was stressing.

Stressing was the right word as Marik finally pieced together Yugi's perfect move. ' _Once again the jam will automatically regenerate and when it appears Slifer will automatically attack and it'll regenerate again and I'll draw three cards again… over and over… in an infinite loop!'_ By then it would be a boring duel, but there was one way Yugi figured out how to beat him without killing Slifer. ' _In one turn my deck will be…'_

"That's right, when a player can no longer draw a card from their deck they can't keep playing…" It was the only way Yugi was going to be able to win this duel and he was just glad he had the cards he needed.

No matter how many cards Marik had in his hand and no matter how powerful Slifer got once Marik's doll ran out of cards it was game over. And that is what was happening each time Slifer killed the jam and the doll was drawing more cards from the deck.

"No god's power isn't infinite… it's limited by the number of cards in your deck." Yugi said as he watched the doll draw the last cards from the deck some even falling to the ground because there was no way to hold that many. Marik's control slipped for a moment as Slifer was destroyed when the doll couldn't draw anymore causing the doll to fall to its knees lifeless.

Yugi actually let out the breath he was holding there at the end not believing he just won that duel.

"Yugi did it!" Mokuba shouted as he slid down the embankment toward the two. He grinned as he congratulated Yugi on his victory before he hurried over to the other player. They could celebrate later right now he had to do his job. Walking up to the loser he noticed he looked kind of lifeless.

"What's wrong with this guy? He's not moving it's like he's a doll. I-I guess he must be shocked after losing like that." Mokuba guessed as he looked around on the ground and found the card he was looking for. Picking up Slifer and the puzzle card he took one final look at the guy before hurrying back over to Yugi. "As Battle City's steering committee chairman, I give you the winner this Slifer the sky dragon."

Yugi took a look at the new edition honestly still a little in disbelief that it was his now. It was more powerful than Exodia.

"But don't get used to it. Pretty soon they'll both belong to my big brother." Mokuba added on referring to the puzzle and god card.

Yami looked at his other brother who was slowing coming down to join them. "So I take it these were the real reason you started this tournament." He took quick notice of the silence and the way Seto looked ready to duel. "Don't even think about it…"

"Yami…"

"No," Yami interrupted Yugi and stood in front of his partner. "You just got done with a hard duel and Seto is going to back off. Go find some other punk to beat."

Seto of course wasn't one to back down as he said, "Why don't you let Yugi decide? The rules for Battle City are when two duelists meet they must duel."

"Seto…" Yami growled ready to beat his twin down if he didn't back off. His brain dead brother could wait until the finals to fight Yugi which he was sure both would make it to.

Things might have gotten a little ugly if it wasn't for the fact a scream from Mokuba stopped all three in their tracks. They looked just in time to see Mokuba move behind Yugi and the reason for his fright. The doll was back on his feet as if nothing had happened.

Putting his thoughts of Seto aside Yami first had to deal with the freak. "Give it up Marik. Yugi won your god card fair and square."

Marik just chuckled at that. "Don't worry… I didn't get it a second's thought. I know I'll get it back before long. But there's one thing I forgot to tell you…" That had their attention so he continued, "I will arrive in Domino city shortly and when I do my plan will go into motion. I can see three views right now like a three dimensional broadcast. I can see you through the eyes of this 'doll', I can see the city from the freeway and my last view is of downtown domino city through the eyes of one of the rare hunters in town. I can see your friends in the crowd, the duelist called Joey and the rest…"

Not only had that gotten Yugi and Yami's attention, but Seto's attention shift too if only for a moment when he heard Joey's name. Marik wasn't through yet as he added, "Yes… the rare hunters have been keeping an eye on your friends so I can use them whenever I want. You'd better go and join them quickly before something bad happens to them." And if that wasn't enough to get them motived he threw in a little taunt to push them along. "One more thing, the rare hunters know you're coming. By the time you get to your friends they'll be ready. So I hope you enjoy the game."

"Marik!" Yugi shouted but it was too late as the doll fell lifeless to the ground again. The only thing on Yugi's mind was the fact that his friends were in danger and were being dragged into this mess. He turned to run and try and make it to his friends but a voice stopped him.

"Yugi!" Yugi actually growled as he turned to look at Seto over his shoulder with a glare.

"I can't fight you now, the ghouls are after Joey and I can't let my friends die. Don't you even care?" He didn't even wait for a response as he hurried off faster than Yami had ever seen him run.

"He does realize I can track down Joey faster than he'll find him on foot right?" Seto mentioned since that was one of the reasons he was trying not to let Yugi run off. No one threaten his puppy and got away with it. It would be a lot faster to track Joey's duel disk.

Yami sighed, "It's the situation, he's not thinking straight. Let me go get him."

"No, I'll go after him."

Yami shook his head, "Honestly right now I don't trust you with that."

"You're going to have to," Seto said as he leveled Yami with a look that said 'don't argue with me'. "Let's face it, it'll be a lot faster if you and Mokuba return to Kaiba Corp and track Joey down. I wouldn't trust those employees of mine to get the job done."

Mokuba nodded, "He has a point Yami and the more time we waste the faster those ghouls get to Joey and the others." He reached out to pull at Yami's arm to get him to come along. He may have not understood all that was going on, but he knew the others were worried about Joey and Yugi's friends. "We already have a car waiting to take us."

At first Yami looked like he might have argued this, but over all he knew Seto had a point. But he wasn't going to leave without an agreement. "You have to promise me that you won't duel Yugi until the finals got it?"

"Whatever I'll agree to it, just get going." Seto pushed as he went off in the direction Yugi had taken. Hopefully it wouldn't take long to catch up with him.

* * *

Yugi was actually a lot quicker on his feet then people realized mostly from his high school days of running away from bullies. That all changed when he made friends, but he still could move when he needed to. Of course Yugi wasn't just going to blindly run through Domino looking for his friends, he had already tried calling Joey only to get his voicemail and sadly the others weren't picking up either. So either they were doing something and not checking their phones or the worst had already happened, which he really hoped hadn't happened.

Turning down one of the back alleys to get to the middle of Domino city faster, he ended up not making it far before two guys came out of nowhere blocking his path. At first he wondered if they were just thugs looking to rob someone, but at the last second he noticed the duel disk on their arms and the familiar coats they wore.

"Yugi right?" The short chubby one asked, "If you want to go any further you'll have to beat us first."

The taller skinny one agreed, "In a duel he means…."

"Get out of my way!" Yugi didn't have time for this. He didn't care if they were rare hunters or not, he had to get to his friends before it was too late.

The short one laughed, "You wish, if we let you pass Lord Marik will kill us…"

"Plus if you refuse to duel us… your friend will be eliminated immediately." The other one chimed in. Before he turned to his partner, "So which one of use should go first? How about you?"

"No be my guest."

"Let's roshambo for it."

"Fine…"

Yugi was forced to watch as these two idiots tried to figure out which one would go first in dueling him, but he didn't have time for this. By the third time of them tying at roshambo, his anger was on a new level. "Hurry up!"

The other two didn't seem to care that Yugi was in a hurry as they looked at him and apologized. "Sorry Yugi, we keep tying. We can't decide who goes first…"

"Then come at us as a tag team you pigs," All eyes turned as Seto walked toward them with his duel disk ready, "Yugi and I will pair up."

The other two duelists looked at each other unsure at first, "We have the right number of people…" One of them commented.

While they took their sweet time figuring out if a tag team was the best move, Seto had joined Yugi's side. He could see the look on Yugi's face so he decided to clarify a few things, "Don't get the wrong idea Yugi. One of the reasons why I held battle city was to wipe out these card counterfeiting scum. I'm only leaning you a hand this time, but come the finals we will be rivals once again."

If he was talking about the finals, then Yami must have talked some sense into him. Either way Yugi didn't mind having Seto on his side for now if it meant getting to his friends. As he readied his own duel disk he asked, "Where are those two?" He knew Seto would know who he was talking about and he did as he reply.

"You don't need to worry about them just focus on the duel." Seto commented as he noticed the two ghouls had come to an agreement and were ready to duel.

The ghouls let Kaiba be the first to go and he took his move seriously. First using pot of greed to draw some more cards, he then used Lord of Dragons and two Flute of Summoning Dragons to summon not one but three Blue Eyes White Dragons and one other dragon from his hand. "Now let's see what you wannabe Duelists can dish out."

The shorter ghoul looking overwhelmed by Kaiba's move and having five monsters on the field simply placed a monster in defense mode.

Yugi haven't no clue what Kaiba was planning decided to play it safe for now and lay down two face down cards that could help them along with Kuriboh in defense mode. Not one of his best moves but while Kaiba had the monster power, he had the trap and spell cards to back him up.

Finally it was the taller ghouls turn as he placed a card face down along with a monster in defense mode as well. Thus it was Seto's turn again and he was ready for it, "This'll be fast…" He stated as he then scarified all three of his Blue Eyes White Dragons to summon his own god card Obelisk the Tormentor. But that wasn't all as he used his other two monsters as scarifies to power up Obelisk.

Yugi could only watch in disbelief as Obelisk took out not only the defense monsters on their opponents side but both players life points dropped to zero. In a few short turns, they were the victors not only gaining passage to continue the search for Joey and the others, but they both got a puzzle card bringing them one step closer to the finals.

* * *

Somewhere else on the other side of Domino, Bakura quickly looked behind him as if sensing someone was watching him. He surveyed the area but with so many people it was hard to tell. This of course made him feel uncomfortable. But there was no way to check it out and take care of it with the others around.

"Hey Bakura, what's the matter?" He could hear Joey shout to him before he felt Ryou's hand on his arm.

"Hey you okay?"

Bakura shook off the feeling for now and nodded as he and Ryou caught back up with the other two. Later he would find out who was watching him and put an end to it.

"You're going quite well Joey," Tea commented as they continued walking the streets of Domino looking for Joey another opponent.

Joey was proud of his accomplishment as he showed off his four puzzle cards, "Yeah I only need two more to get into the finals."

Tea was glad for Joey, but she also wished she could see Yugi duel as well. "I haven't seen Yugi, but I'm sure he's doing great too."

Speaking of his best bud Joey agreed. "Of course, he's probably already waiting at the finals."

"You know what's funny, Joey," Ryou spoke up getting Joey's attention, "You've won a lot of rare cards, like Jinzo and Insect Queen but they're all weird and scary."

Now that Joey thought about it they were and that was not how he wanted to think of his cards, "Shut up. It's not like I wanted them."

"Actually I like them, I love grotesque cards," Ryou pointed out, "I wish Bakura had them in his deck."

Never mind the fact that Ryou liked those kinds of cards, Joey was just shocked to hear Bakura had a deck, "You play duel monsters?" He asked Bakura not like he was going to get an answer.

Ryou answered for him as he reached into Bakura's back pocket and pulled the deck out. "Yeah, it's an occult-themed deck. Monster world is more of my thing, but Bakura has developed a love for duel monsters."

"O-Occult…" Joey slowly moved away from Bakura. "I'm definitely not dueling you…"

"Don't be so afraid," Ryou teased Joey as he gave Bakura his deck back. He had wished he had been able to talk Bakura into the tournament, but Bakura's excuse was he was still new to it and wasn't going to get his ass handed to him in front of others. No matter hopefully one day he would agree to duel their friends for fun.

Never knowing that someone was watching them the whole time, Joey decided to turn the talk away from the occult and try and find himself a new opponent who could get him one step closer to the finals. "All right where's my next opponent. Let's try out this duelist search sensor."

"Duelist search sensor? What's that?" Tea asked as Joey fiddled with his duel disk which started to make a 'bip' sound.

"It can detect other active duel disks. If there's a duelist within fifty meters this'll find them fast." Joey informed them as his disk picked up one not far from them, "Duelist at twelve o'clock that way!"

There was no stopping Joey when on a mission leaving Ryou and Tea to hurry behind him as he went after his new opponent. Not once did they check to see if Bakura had followed them to which he hadn't. Bakura stood there as the look in his eyes changed, he could sense someone was coming and that someone had a millennium item.

* * *

Five minutes later found Joey and crew just outside of Domino City's aquarium.

"There's a duelist in there?" Tea commented not quite sure Joey's duel disk was working right.

Joey shrugged, "That's what the sensor says, let's just go in and look."

Tea wasn't too sure about especially when she noticed that they had lost Bakura in their rush. "You see where Bakura went?" She asked his boyfriend to which Ryou shrugged.

"He does that sometimes when he's bored. I'll just text him our location." Ryou said like it was no big deal as they followed Joey inside.

Due to the tournament the aquarium was offering a free show to the public with their famous killer whale to get people into the aquarium. They hoped it would drum up business and the tourists would pay to see the other exhibits. Judging from the crowds as Tea, Joey, and Ryou found a seat the show was a big hit so far. But just as they were sitting down to enjoy the show forgetting Joey was looking for his opponent, they noticed someone very familiar by the killer whale tank.

"It's him, Mako!" Joey shouted as he changed plans of sitting down, instead hurrying to the bottom of the stands. Ryou and Tea were not far behind him seemed there was a duelist there after all.

Mako turned his attention away from the killer whale when he heard his name being called and recognized two of Yugi's fiends coming toward him. "Hey Joey," He called to the other forgetting the girl's name.

"It's been a long time, man. How ya doing..?" Joey asked being polite, "Haven't seen ya since Duelist Kingdom. So you're in battle city too?"

Mako nodded as he showed off his own duel disk, "You bet!"

"Mako what are you doing in the aquarium? The duels are supposed to be in the streets." Tea pointed out curious as to why he would be here of all places.

Mako had a simple explanation for that as he said, "Yeah but I've never been to an aquarium before." He turned back to the whale with a grin, "Boy what a huge fish tank, I just want to pick him out and fry him on the grill."

Now that made more sense but Tea wondered how much Mako really knew about city life. "An aquarium is a place to see fish not eat them."

"Huh? City folks pay money just to see fish. Now that's weird." Turns out Mako had no clue but he just laughed off his cluelessness. "If they come to my sea, I'll show them all the fish they want." Then as if a switch was turned he looked to Joey and asked, "By the way Joey, what are you doing here? You must love fish more than I thought."

"I didn't come here to look at fish," Joey argued as he showed his own duel disk, "I came here to duel."

"With me?" Mako questioned.

"Yeah."

Another round of laughter followed by Mako saying, "You can't compete against my sea deck!"

Every duelist just loved to push Joey's buttons and Mako was no different as Joey growled, "What'd you say you seafood freak?"

Mako then grew serious as he grinned at Joey, "I said fine, I accept your challenge Joey."

"That's more like it." Joey stated as both he and Mako ready for their duel. All around them the audience was trying to figure out what was going on and if this was part of the show.

Mako pulled out two puzzle cards, "Okay Joey, we each own four puzzle cards. Why don't we bet two? That way the winner will advance all the way to the championship tournament."

Joey could agree with that and decided to up the ante as well. "Let's bet two rare cards too."

Thus with the ante in place and both players ready the duel began, Joey began the duel by going first. He placed one card face down and then summoned swordsman of Landstar in defense mode. ' _On my next turn I'll sacrifice swordsman of Landstar and summon my trump card Giltia the D. Knight.'_ Were Joey's thoughts already having the perfect play in hand to defeat Mako quickly.

Mako however was a good duelist and always thought ahead and he saw Joey's face down card. Knowing it would be stupid to rush in, Mako played it safe by simply playing flying fish in defense mode.

"So Mako you think you can fight me with fish? My deck has some super strong warriors." Joey stated as he drew his card, then sacrifice Landstar for Giltia the D. Knight. However all didn't go as planned as soon as Giltia appeared on the field he was attacked by a very familiar Parasite.

' _No way…'_ Joey quickly realized his mistake as soon as that stupid card appeared on the field. ' _I forgot to take it out after Weevil's duel…'_ He felt like curling up and hiding in the tank with the whale at this point.

Mako was confused by Joey's move, "Wh-what the? I didn't know you liked such gross monsters." Either way Joey had made his move and it was his turn now as he active a trap card. "Torrential tribute…." The huge wave of water wiped out the monsters on Joey's side of the field. ' _This is the easiest duel I've ever played…'_

* * *

Meanwhile outside the aquarium Marik and Malik had just pulled up meeting two of Marik's rare hunters that had been tailing Yugi's friends. One of them giving Marik an update on what was happening, "We have been waiting for you lord Marik. The one you seek is inside…" Not that Marik didn't already know that haven't been looking through the eyes of his rare hunters.

It was time to put the plan in motion once those idiots stepped outside, however things were about to change when someone else appeared behind Marik.

"So you're the one with a millennium item…." Bakura stated as he watched the group carefully with a shiny new duel disk on his arm. "Now be a good boy and give it to me." He had been right about someone watching them and now that it was someone with a millennium item made it even better.

An evil grin made its way onto Marik's face as he recognized a familiar face. "Well look at who we have here Malik. Domino is just full of surprises including traitors."

* * *

 **Sakura:** So Yugi and Seto have teamed up, Joey is facing Mako, and now Bakura and Marik are face to face. Lots happened this chapter and next time even more is going to happen. Plus some twist I'm curious to find out if anyone saw coming.

 **Please Review! Next update will be on or around Jan. 29**


	20. Chapter 20

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** Here's another chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 **Full Strength!**

Marik put his motorcycle in parked and dismounted along with his partner. The two stood before Bakura and by the look in everyone's eyes it looked like a fight might break out in front of the Domino Aquarium. However whatever was about to go down would not be said in front of unwanted ears as Marik turned to walk away while giving his lackey's some orders. "You two keep an eye on Joey. He and I have to talk…"

Without another word he walked off headed for an alley just up ahead. Marik didn't even look to see if Bakura was following because he knew he would be. It had been way too long since they last seen each other and he had no doubt they would meet again someday. Just figured today would not be that day.

Hidden within the alley away from listeners on the street Marik turned to Bakura and stated, "What's someone like you doing in Domino city, Akefia?" He demanded more than asked.

"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while, but I'm afraid my host no longer goes by that name." Bakura pointed out not even fazed by the brief look of confusion that flash between Marik and Malik's eyes. "If you are to address me, the name is Bakura now."

"Host…? I'm not quite in the mood for tricks." Marik leveled Bakura with a glare but the other did not look like he was joking.

In fact Bakura just chuckled and said, "Why don't we just get to the point already. I know you don't like my host and he most certainly does not like you. How about I just take that millennium item off of you and I'll let you live…"

A tug on Marik's sleeve caught his attention away from Bakura as his boyfriend spoke up, "I think he's telling the truth. We know Akefia and I don't think that's him."

"You mean possession…" Marik almost wanted to laugh Malik off but then he remembered something he had nearly forgotten and his eyes cut back to Bakura. "You still have it don't you?"

Bakura had no trouble reaching into his pocket and pulling out the item, "I see your memory has not failed you yet being trapped in those tombs." In his hand was a round golden eye with the same symbol on it as Yugi's millennium puzzle and Ryou's millennium ring. A silver ring had been placed around it with a chain making it a keychain. "Nice little key chain don't you think?"

Marik growled. "Well if you're not Akefia or Bakura or whatever he is calling himself now. Who are you?"

"You could say I am a collector of the items. I am merely borrowing this boy's body to serve my purpose."

"Collecting them are you? Then what do you plan on doing with them."

Bakura smirked, "I'm pretty sure you can figure that out yourself. I have all the knowledge of who you people really are. I know all the same secrets that you and your kind know."

"So you must know of the other millennium items? Do you know Yugi, the owner of the millennium puzzle? You must be planning to get rid of them eventually right?" Marik questioned. He was just going on a whim here, but if whoever was controlling Bakura knew of their secrets of the millennium items, he knew of the owners. Evil plans were already forming in his head of how to kill two birds with one stone.

"Maybe…"

"Listen Bakura, I don't care about the millennium items. All I want is Yugi's life…."

Bakura looked at him a little in disbelief. "Really…"

Marik reached behind him and pulled the millennium rod from his partner's hands. "If I can bury him here at battle city, this millennium rod will mean nothing more to me than a hunk of metal. But I still have use for it now. So how about this, if you agree to help me, then after it's all over I'll be glad to give you the rod."

"And if I say no…?"

"You won't leave this alley alive. I still have beef with the one you claim to be in control of." Marik said before he also added, "I'll give you five minutes… yes or no…. it's your choice…" Either way this would all work out in his favor in getting his revenge on not only Yugi now, but a certain traitor he vowed to kill if he ever found him again.

"Can we really trust him?" Malik whispered low enough so only Marik could hear him. He remembered the one in front of them and he didn't have a problem with him as much as Marik did. Why would he want to work with him if he hated him so much?

Marik only smirked, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing…"

* * *

Back inside the Domino Aquarium the duel between Mako and Joey was just getting started as Mako wiped out all of Joey's monsters. However just the few short turns they have had so far were not impressing Mako at all.

"You're like the krill of duelists Joey! So puny I hardly noticed you, this isn't even fun," Mako growled not happy at all. He figured at least as a duelists Joey would have improved over the years.

Joey watched as Mako started his turn. He wasn't happy with the turn out as well, but the duel had only just begun. ' _Mako's got one monster on his field… He's gonna use it to sacrifice summon an even higher level monster and then lay into me.'_ But he wasn't worried because he still had his trap card ready for that.

Mako however had other plans, "Here I come direct attack on Joey!" He announced sending his flying fish at the blond.

"Trap card activate!" Joey shouted activating his trap card although he never realized how bad a move that was until the flying fish went over the chasm that opened up on the duel field and still attacked Joey directly.

"You idiot! How can a flying monster fall into a pit?" Mako questioned with a laugh. He then played a face down card and ended his turn. "I'm disappointed in you Joey. I hate fighting goofy duelists who don't take the game seriously."

Tea watched the duel from the side lines worried about her friend. ' _But Joey is being serious. He's desperate so he's running in circles…'_ She thought to herself knowing he would pull though somehow.

"Listen Joey whenever I fight somebody I give it my all. That shows that I respect my opponents." Mako preached, "It's the same when I'm fishing no matter how small the fish is I reel them in a hard as I can. Or else someday a big one will pull me in and swallow me. I can't go out to sea right now, I don't have a boat. That's why I'm in this tournament. I need the prize money to make my dream come true. But even if it takes me a while the sea will wait for me. Because the sea s waiting for the day we battle."

"I know how it is Mako," Joey stated whether the fish duelists believed him or not. "Just like you, there's somebody I want to fight." This duel was far from over and he made his next move. First off he started his turn by summoning Alligator sword then placed two cards face down before ending his turn.

' _That's more like it now I can't just walk all over you._ ' Mako thought as he took his turn. He sacrificed his flying fish to summon Amphibian Beast to the field. Since Joey's monster had fewer points than his, he was quick to send his monster on the attack prepared to knock Joey's life points down even more.

However Joey was ready this time as he activated one of his face-down cards, Fairy Box to the field. His Alligator Sword disappeared inside the box that had six holes on the top.

"What the…? Six holes? Do I have to guess the right one?"

Joey smirked, "Can you hit alligator sword as he pops in and out super-fast?" He asked Mako as Mako's beast tried to hit Alligator Sword but was being unsuccessful.

Instead of playing this mindless game, Mako had a better idea as he activated his own card, "Too bad I have this card, Umi field spell card!" As soon as the card was played the field was covered in water making it perfect for Mako's monsters. But also it sunk the fairy box to the bottom and due to being underwater something else was easy to see. "Amphibian beast, hunt him down!" Mako sent his monster on the attack since due to the air bubbles he could easily find the alligator.

"Now here's my other trap card! Skull dice!" Joey announced before the attack could be completed. The little devil appeared on the field letting go of the dice it was carrying. "When that die lands your attack points are going down!" As soon as the rolled stopped on a four, Alligator Sword appeared out of the water taking down Mako's monster with easy.

Mako looked a little impressed by Joey's move as he said, "Well Joey, looks like you can put up a decent fight. Good then this won't be boring."

Joey was going to take that comment and roll with it as he started his turn. Drawing first he ended up with polymerization which would work out perfect for him. The only problem is he had to figure out his strategy first. Thanks to Mako's field card none of his warrior monsters can swim to move across the field to get to Mako. However there were some monsters in his deck that could move over water.

"I play baby dragon and now…" He placed his polymerization card on the field fusing his two monsters, "Meet Alligator Sword Dragon." Joey announced as Alligator Sword hopped onto the back of his baby dragon. Now the two could easily move across the water to attack Mako directly. And that is what they did as the pair flew over the water and nailed Mako bringing his life points down to fourteen hundred.

Mako certainly was not about to take that lying down as his next move became even fiercer. First he played two cards face down before ending his turn. ' _I play two cards but you can't see them because of the rough water can you?_ ' were his thoughts as he watched Joey try to figure out what he just played. _'Now try and attack me Joey.'_

Drawing a card, Joey was trying to figure out what Mako was trying to pull. Mako didn't summon any monsters to the field, but then again Joey couldn't see his cards so he couldn't tell. Thinking back all of this seemed very familiar and it didn't take long for him to figure out why. ' _He's using the same sea stealth strategy he fought Yugi with in duelist kingdom.'_ Joey assumed out starting to remember that time from years ago. ' _Yugi's monster attacked from land but Mako's monster reached out of the water and pulled it under before it could even react…. Wait! What am I worried about? My monster can fly. As long as I don't go too close to the water he can't do anything to me.'_

There was no telling if it was the right move or not but it was the one Joey was going with as he sent his monsters on the attack. If Mako's two cards were just a bluff then Joey was going to win with this turn as Mako didn't have enough life points to stay alive.

"Not so fast! Have a trap card!" Mako announced as he activated one of his hidden cards. The trap card Tornado wall came to life, pulling all the water from the field and creating massive water tornado's in front of Mako keeping his life points safe. "This trap card is permanent and as long as it lasts even a flying monster can't come near me."

Looking at the field Joey cursed his luck. As the seawater lifted to create the Tornado wall, Joey noticed there were no monsters hidden on Mako's side of the field. He never played any monsters at all and Joey fell right into his bluff. Turns out Mako had Joey thinking too much on that turn. "Darn it! It's your turn!"

Mako smirked as the Tornado's disappeared returning to the seawater for the moment. He played a single card and ended his turn.

There was not much Joey could do at this point as he couldn't tell once again if Mako played a monster or not. The only way he was going to be able to find out is if he attacked again. He sent his monsters on the attack again to see what would happen.

"Don't you ever learn? This trap is permanent…" Mako laughed as Tornado walls came back to life protecting Mako, but that's not all.

Out of nowhere shots rang out and Alligator Sword Dragon went down shocking Joey. "That can't be! Where did he attack from?" Joey shouted as he scanned the field but could see nothing as the sea water returned. Mako had hidden something in the water but what Joey didn't know. The only thing the blond could do was summon another monster to protect his own life points. He summoned little winguard in defense mode and ended his turn.

But just like before more shots rang out and little winguard went down without one monster from Mako's side appearing. There was no motion in the water or anything. Something with super stealth had just taken out Joey's only defense on that turn.

"This is the terror of the sea. So Joey do you still think the sea's not that tough?" Mako shouted as he started his turn. He wasn't even giving Joey much time to figure it out as he played a few more cards. _'I can see the terror in your eyes. My sea stealth has you paralyzed with fear. Meanwhile I've already got one monster ready for a sacrifice to summon the biggest monster you've ever seen.'_

Joey was completely unaware of Mako's plan as he simply played a card face down and summoned rocket warrior in defense mode. It was all he could do for the time being.

The time had finally come for Mako to make his move, "Battening down the hatches Joey, using two monsters as bait I call forth the ultimate sea beast!" Mako informed him as he sacrificed both monsters Joey had no clue he had on the field to bring forth one of his best monsters, Fortress whale. The massive Whale appeared on the field taking up most of it with large cannon's on its back. The look of fear on Joey's face was priceless as Mako smirked, "Joey, you're finished!"

* * *

"All right, five minutes is up." Marik announced as he looked at Bakura, "Now you either die or join forces with me. What's your choice?"

Instead of answering with a yes or no, Bakura stated, "If you want to hurt Yugi, the easiest way is to go through his friends."

Marik rolled his eyes, "I know I already plan to use them. That's why I've got this millennium rod."

Bakura however wasn't finished as he added, "Their bond is strong. They'll know instantly that you're up to no good. But I have a convenient hiding place, my host. Maybe that could prove useful."

"Host eh?" Marik wondered kind of curious to see where this would go. "And how will you do that?"

A chuckle escaped from the one controlling Bakura as he pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. "My answer is this…" There was a just a flash of sliver before the blade was tossed into the dumpster nearby.

Marik watched as blood came pouring out of Bakura left arm the other looking unfazed by it. The one in front of him just smirked at him and said, "I'll lend you my host for now…" Then the next moment Bakura lay at his feet passed out, the real Bakura never knowing what just happened.

* * *

The massive whale that appeared on the field left Joey speechless. He had no clue what to do or how to act with what had happened. The thing not only came up out of the water, it could even fly meaning it was one hell of a monster.

Mako was very pleased with himself for shocking the blond duelist so much. "Joey, your deck is full of landlubber warriors and beast-warriors. You won't have a chance when my one hundred fifty ton fortress drops from the sky. Let this be a lesson, don't ever take the sea lightly. I can't stand guys who make fun of it. I know the ocean's dangers firsthand. We fishermen carry scars from our battles with the sea…." Thinking back he began to remember his dad all over again, "Just like my dad. A long time ago, my dad and I lost one of those battles. For people who live off the sea losing your boat is like death. So on days when the sea was rough when other fishermen were afraid to go out my dad would borrow their boats and fish. And that's how I lost him… Now do you get it? I'll teach you to fear and respect the sea!"

Joey had heard this story once before back in duelist kingdom when Mako told his past to Yugi. But he had his own reason to fight too. "Mako you're a proud duelist, and I do respect you. But as long as I'm a duelist I can't give up."

' _Then try Joey, just try to stand up to the ocean!'_ Mako entered his battle phrase of his turn, "Fortress whale attack!"

While Joey thought he was good, next thing he knew his rocket warrior was killed out of the blue without even an attack yet from the whale. "What?" _'Another attack from an invisible enemy….'_

' _That's right, step one fortress whale, step two sea stealth two…'_ Mako's whale went on the attack, attacking Joey directly and taking most of his remaining life points with it.

With three hundred life points left, Joey listened as the crowd went wild for Mako's move. There was no way Joey was going to back down but he still couldn't figure out what was killing his monsters as soon as he summoned them. If he couldn't keep any monsters on the field he was as good as defeated. As he calculated his move, Mako appeared to be getting a little impatience.

"What are you waiting for? It's your turn. Hurry up and play a card!" Mako reminded Joey wanting to get this duel over with so he could move on to the finals. He watched Joey as the blond simply stared at the field. Curious to know what was going on in that head of his, Mako decided to test the waters, "You have the eyes of a dead fish. Do you give up so soon? What happened to the eyes you had when you came walking into my territory and challenged me to a duel?"

' _His territory…"_ Those words began to remind Joey of when he had first meet Mako, ' _Back in duelist kingdom Mako would lure duelists to the edge of the sea because that's where he had the advantage. What if… What if this whole aquarium is Mako's territory? Then his monster could be hiding anywhere. What if I'm looking in the wrong place…?'_ While he was almost lost in his thoughts movement from the killer whale in the tank beside them swam up making movement in the water. Something else quickly caught his eyes making his eyes widen in surprise for just now seeing it. ' _That's only one place it can be…'_

Knowing it was now or never, Joey began his turn by first drawing a card. Looking at his hand he ended up with Kunai with chain from his draw and he had one monster already in his hand along with one trap card, plus he had one face down card on the field. If he was going to win this duel, he was going to have to plan everything down to the letter in order to take down Mako's own killer whale.

"I play two more face down cards and then I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" Joey announced knowing Mako would think he was just pulling another stupid move.

And Mako sure did as he laughed, "Panther warrior is a beast warrior it can't swim or attack a flying monster. Talk about a futile last stand." Starting his own turn Mako used it to summon another monster. "I play sea snake in defense mode." He didn't even bother to hide this one as he already had this duel won as he sent his whale on the attack again. "First I'll defeat your panther warrior with a stealth attack. Then Fortress whale will 'whale' on you and it'll be quick and painless."

' _Only one chance to defeat his stealth monster…_ ' Joey watched carefully looking for whatever he had seen before so he could go on the attack. And just as the killer whale in the tank came up again continuing to put on a show, Joey launched his counter attack. "I play my face down card. Magic arm shield…" The shield appeared on Panther Warrior, "Hide and seek is over Mako. I found your monster and he's right there."

Just as Mako's hidden monster appeared out of the water to attack, Panther warrior was ready with the trap card. The hands extended from the shield trapping Mako's fisherman that sat on top its own killer whale. Mako's legendary fisherman was revealed to all as it's attack got halted. The whole time Joey had been more focused thinking too much and worrying about the whale that he failed to see the fisherman until he calmed down.

"When you summoned the seawater it blended in with the killer whale pool. That's how you hid your monster." Joey revealed Mako's strategy and he had to admit it was a good one, but it was also one Joey was able to figure out. There was only one real killer whale, so when movement from something else that looked similar had to have been Mako's hidden monster. Now Mako's fisherman was captured but what wasn't all. "Now I'll swing him around in front of Panther Warrior. Fortress whale will think the fisherman's its target."

The cannons on the whale's back locked onto their target and fired not even caring that it was one of Mako's monsters. The fisherman went down and so did Mako's life points down to nine hundred.

Mako wasn't too happy about that as he shouted, "Oh Yeah! Well what about shrapnel? Panther warrior must have been caught in the blast and blown away too!"

Joey smirked, "You sure about that? Here's another trap card." He revealed his other card Kunai with chain which had reached out and wrapped around the horn of the whale. And Panther Warrior was on the other end using the chain to launch itself into the air and out of harm's way.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Are you telling me your beast warrior is challenging my flying fortress the biggest animal that ever lived?" Mako questioned as Panther Warrior landed safely on top of his own monster.

"You got it Mako. I'm a guy on a mission and nothing's gonna get in my way!" Joey stated proudly as the tables were about to turn in his favor.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Not as long as I thought it was going to be but we did learn a little bit about Bakura. I'm sure there are some questions in the air, but please hold out because all will be explained within the battle city finals. Although I'm sure most can probably guess what it going on. Also yes Bakura is the owner of the millennium eye and no he did not steal it from Pegasus. Pegasus never got the millennium eye and was inspired for duel monsters another way. More will come out later about how Bakura came to have the eye.

 **Yumi: Please Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Small Note**

 **Sakura:** So sorry I haven't updated in over a month, lots of stuff going on right now. And as much as I love getting a new chapter out for everyone I have some very important news. I'm going to take a couple months off from fanfiction. I'll still be around reading others stories as they post new chapters, but my own story will be put on hold until possible June or July. The reason behind this is because I've had a lot going on and honestly I've been going through a slump where I just don't want to write anything. I do not want to give up on this story, so I've made the decision to take some time off and get re-inspired. But I will be back because I have no plans of giving this story up. It will be finished hopefully before the end of this year.

So please enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

 **The Reason for Dueling**

The tables were finally turning in Joey's favor with his duel against Mako. It had almost seemed like Mako had this duel won until Joey had come up with the perfect way to defeat Mako. Joey's Panther Warrior used the Kunai with Chain to hop onto the back of Mako's massive killer whale avoiding its attack.

This move shocked Mako even more after his own monster the Legendary Fisherman had been killed by his own whale's attack. "What in the-? Panther Warrior jumped in the sky?!"

"He may not be able to fly but now we're on the same level." Joey stated proud of his move. The water may stopped his monsters from getting to Mako's monsters, but he had his own ways around it. The thing is that's not all Joey had up his sleeve.

Mako was beyond pissed by this point, ' _Stupid chain boomerang! I can't believe he can do that!'_ However his whale was still more powerful than Joey's monster and he even pointed that out. "Even when you're on his back, Fortress Whale is still stronger!"

On the side line Ryou and Tea watched the duel wondering how Joey was going to get out of this one. Ryou didn't know a whole lot about the game but he knew the basics. "Even if Joey attacks, he'll just injure himself…"

Tea had to agree with him there, "Knowing Joey, he probably just jumped to show off."

The worry that Mako once had was nowhere to be seen anymore as he realized that Joey still had no clue what he was doing. "Well good job figuring out how to fly. But your monster's just a beast warrior. It's no match for Fortress Whale."

However Joey still had one more move to pull off before he was done. "It's not over yet Mako." He shocked everyone by telling his warrior to attack. Panther Warrior taking its sword and stabbing it right into the back of the Whale.

The move seemed pointless to those watching as nothing happened to the Fortress Whale. Mako wasn't surprised as he said, "Well now look at that, my whale didn't even budge." Enough was enough for him as he figured it was time to finally finish this duel before Joey embarrassed himself even more. "And now let me show you something else he can do."

Mako sent his own monster on the attack with a Whale spin to send Panther Warrior flying off of his back. The move worked sending Panther Warrior back to Joey's side of the field. Panther Warrior may have made it back to Joey in one piece but it wasn't going to be for long. "Panther warrior attacked Fortress whale who has higher attack points. That means at the end of this turn Panther Warrior will die and you'll lose life points. Your Panther's probably got internal injuries from the whale spin. It's just a matter of time!" Mako laughed pleased with his victory, "My Fortress won't fall to somebody like you!"

Apparently something Mako said made Joey chuckled which of course got Mako's attention. "What's so funny?"

"Take a look," Joey stated as he pointed up at Mako's whale. The fisherman duelist looked up to see what Joey was looking at and to his surprise the sword from Panther Warrior was still trapped in the back of his whale with the other end of the Kunai with Chain attached to it. "Panther Warrior's got twenty five hundred attack points it's slightly below Fortress Whale's attack points by fifty points but…" Joey pointed down at his side where he still had one more face down card, "I got one more face down card. Are you ready Mako? This is my thump card!"

Activating his face down card which happened to be Lightning Blade, Mako was forced to watch as lightning came shooting down from the sky and straight into the sword left in his whale's back. The sword acting like a lightning rod sent the electric currents shooting through the beast. Since it was a water monster the attack was double and thus the Fortress went down. Landing in the water the lightning transferred to the rest of the field utterly wiping out all of Mako's monsters that were on the field. The duelist's life points went down to a hundred and fifty after the destruction of his monsters.

Mako glared at Joey as he asked, "You let the whale shake you off so you wouldn't get electrocuted didn't you?"

' _Actually I just got shook off…'_ Joey admitted to himself but wasn't about to tell Mako that.

It was still Mako's turn so the duelist was forced to shake off that defeat and continue on. ' _I still have one spell card left to play…'_ He pulled that card from his hand and played Return of the Doomed on the field. But because of the water that was still on the field Joey had no clue what monster it was.

Joey on the other hand was trying to be smart about this because the duel wasn't over yet. ' _Mako might have used that spell card to hide another monster in the sea. What do I do? I can't just charge in or I could get hurt…'_ He also didn't like that smirk he saw on Mako's face by this point.

There was no way around it as Joey was going to have to put his faith in the heart of the cards. He started his turn by drawing his next card.

"Remember!" Mako called out to him all smug like, "The Kunai's gone so Panther Warrior can't cross the sea!"

"You're wrong!" Joey informed him as he sent his monster on the attack. He knew Mako was thinking he could easily take Panther Warrior out, but he didn't know what card had just come to his hand. "Sorry to spoil your plan, but I got a new card!" He played Giant Trunade on the field thus returning all spell and trap cards to the player's hands and that including Mako's field spell card.

The move cleared the field not only for Joey's monsters to move around the field once more but also showed Joey all of Mako's monsters. Imagine Joey's surprise when the water cleared to show Mako's Legendary Fisherman instead of Fortress Whale. ' _But why?'_ were Joey's thoughts as he tried to figure it out. ' _Fortress Whale is stronger than Legendary Fisherman… why didn't he bring it back to life?'_

Either way Joey had not called off his attack so Panther Warrior quickly went forth and took out Mako's monster. Bringing the duelist life points to zero and leaving Joey very confused about his own win.

Mako bowed his head in defeat as he stated, "You did it. You beat me…"

"Joey won, now he can advance to the finals," Ryou cheered not believing how easily Joey had been able to turn the duel around and win. However there was something Tea could see that he couldn't as she looked at Joey.

"He won but he doesn't look happy at all…." Tea said more to herself as her and Ryou moved to join Joey.

Joey looked straight at Mako as he asked, "Mako, what did you do?"

Mako put on his best smile and gave Joey a thumbs up, "Good job Joey. Guess you're not so bad after all."

"Hold on…" Joey shouted trying to get through to Mako, "If you had a card that could bring back the dead, why didn't you bring back fortress whale? If you did, you won't have lost."

"It doesn't matter."

"It does too matter!"

Mako knew Joey would question his move but he had his reasons, "All that matters is that you won. You got my life points to zero. Isn't that enough for you?"

"Don't talk to me like that! I'm a duelist, if you threw the game I want a rematch." Joey demanded. He had wanted to win but not if Mako threw the game.

' _I guess there are some real fools in the world... A real fool with a true duelists eyes.'_ Mako realized as he turned to face Joey to give him a real answer, "Joey, that card was my trump card and you beat it. That's why I didn't want to prolong the match. That was the soul of my deck." He explained to Joey as he pulled that one card from his deck. "I've been fighting side by side with this card, using a sea deck for a long time, fighting and winning…"

He could recall all the matches he faced to get to that point with that card, ' _Me and this fisherman that looks like my dad.'_ It bought him comfort and made him feel like his father was still with him when he couldn't physical see him. "I decided that I'd always use this card to reel in the catch at the end of a duel. Like how my dad and I used to fight the storms and the waves."

Joey finally understood what Mako was getting at, ' _That card is his father's alter ego. When his father didn't come back from the sea, he put his feelings for his father into that card. And it was like they fought together…'_

"I believe that my dad's still alive somewhere out at sea, that's why…" Mako stopped to wipe a tear before it fell and anyone could see it, "I couldn't leave this card in the graveyard even if it meant I lost. Pretty silly huh? And I call myself a duelist. I mean what does it matter as long as you win?"

"That's not true Mako," Joey told him catching his attention. "We duelists fight for something in our hearts. Each one of us has something special. If I were you I woulda done the same thing."

Those words must have stuck Mako in some way because he actually felt better and smiled, "In battle city the rule is for the loser to give the winner their most important card. This card's not that rare it only has four stars but to me it's the most important card I've got and that means…" He handed the card to Joey, "I want you to have it Joey."

Joey was taken aback for a second as he looked at the card in Mako's hand. "I can't accept that! It means too much to you."

"No… I realized something while we were fighting." Mako admitted, "My dad was lost at sea but if he were here he'd tell me, 'Mako a card's just a card. You're relying too much on that card that looks like me. What you should really believe in is your own heart'." He smirked showing Joey he would be alright as he added, "Even without this card my dad will always fight by my side."

Before things got too mushy Joey agreed to take the card, "All right man. You've convinced me, I'll take it." He took the card that was handed to him along with Mako's rare card Fortress Whale and the last puzzle cards he needed to enter the finals.

The two shook hands making promises of a rematch in the future before Joey rejoined his friends to leave the aquarium. They still had to locate Yugi and see if he had already made it to the finals.

"That was an amazing duel Joey," Ryou said to the blond duelist as they walked back out onto the street.

"You bet it was!" Joey gloated excited to be advancing to the finals.

Tea was happy for her friend, "You've got six puzzle cards doesn't that mean you can find the location of the finals?" She asked him.

Joey nodded, "Once I put all six cards together, it'll activate a holographic beam pointing to the finals. Yugi should already be there." He had no doubt their friend probably already got his puzzle cards in the first few hours.

The three never knew that within seconds there world would be turn upside down as they started to journey away from the aquarium. They only taken a few steps when Joey and Tea heard a gasp and Ryou making a bee line away from them toward someone ahead of them.

When they looked their eyes widen as well when they noticed two strangers they didn't know holding Bakura up. He looked way worse than they had ever seen him before with blood running freely down his arm with a make shift bandage wrapped around it.

"Bakura, what happened?" Ryou fearfully asked of his boyfriend but there was no answer. His boyfriend was passed out most likely from the blood lost. Whatever had happened must have something to do with the new flashy duel disk he took note was on Bakura's arm now. Now Ryou was used to Bakura getting into trouble and getting hurt but nothing as serious as this.

Joey and Tea hurried over as well as Ryou tried his best to get Bakura to come around. The taller of the two carrying Bakura looked to the three, "Are you his friends? We found him lying in the street."

"What happened to him?" Tea questioned.

Ryou looked up at the two, "Did you see who did this to him?"

The other one shook his head, "We didn't see anything, but I treated him the best I could but he needs to go to a hospital."

Ryou kept trying to get Bakura to wake up also checking to make sure his lover still had a pulse. "Come on Bakura… Who did this to you?" He wasn't one for violence but he wanted to beat the shit out of whoever hurt Bakura. Sure sometimes Bakura deserved punishment for some of the things he did but nothing like this.

Tea was already putting out her phone to get hold of an ambulance so Bakura could get the proper help he needed. When she hung up with them she turned to the two strangers, "Thank you… we'll take care of him now…"

Joey was about to take Bakura from the two thanking them for their help when they heard a shout from behind.

"That's him! That's the guy who stole my duel disk!"

They all turned to see two punks one still owning a duel disk while the other wasn't.

"Hey punk! Thanks for stealing my duel disk." The one without a disk sneered. He didn't even take note that Bakura was hurt and unconscious.

Ryou wasn't even worried about the fact that Bakura stole as he tried to shield Bakura from the two advancing on him. "Stop! He's hurt!" Just before he could get punch in the face the shorter one who had helped Bakura moved in his place taking the blow.

Now that put Joey in a pissed off mood as he ready his fist, "Why you… I'll deal with you guys…"

The two never stood a chance as a few seconds later they were down for the count and no one on the street even gave them a second look. By then the ambulance had finally arrived at the scene taking Bakura and Ryou to the hospital so Bakura could get the treatment he needed. This left Joey and Tea with the two helpful civilians.

"Thanks man. Sorry you guys had to go through all this…"

The taller one waved them off, "No it's okay…"

Due to the wave Joey noticed the duel disk on one of his arm and stated, "So you're a duelist too?"

He nodded, "Yes but I'm not very good. Please don't say you want to duel me?"

Joey laughed at that, "Sorry but I've already qualified for the finals."

"What? Wow you must be strong." He held out his hand for Joey to take, "By the way I'm Namu and my partner here is Malik."

Joey shook their hands and introduced himself and Tea, "I'm Joey and this is my friend Tea."

Malik smiled and said, "You seem like good guys. I hope we can be friends…."

Joey and Tea had no idea of the evil plans Malik and Namu also known as Marik had planned for them. They were completely unaware of the trouble they were in by meeting those two.

* * *

Around three p.m. on the other side of town, Yugi was nowhere near close to finding Joey and that worried him. Along for the journey was Seto who appeared calm as could be given the situation. Of course getting stopped by random rare hunters hadn't help any and there were sure to be more hidden around the city.

"Don't worry so much Yugi. We'll know where to go soon enough." Seto mentioned as they walked around. At this point his job was just making sure Yugi didn't do something stupid to get his brother pissed off at him. Hopefully his brothers were getting close to Kaiba Corp so they could move this along already. "I got to say aren't we an odd pair… Here I am, walking shoulder to shoulder with the man I swore would be my life long rival. The site we must be to other duelists."

Yugi rolled his eyes at that knowing this was just Seto's way of trying to make conversation. The rules of the tournament were to face off against any duelists you come face to face with, but in this case there were exceptions to every rule. "You'll get your duel Seto after we find Joey." He wasn't one to back down from a fight especially coming from Seto but now wasn't the time. "I don't see how you're not worried about him."

"He's a big boy he can handle himself." Seto stated as he watched the people around them looking for any more ghouls. He was far from heartless and did care about his own partner but he also knew Joey and those ghouls wouldn't stand a chance if they tried to pick a fight. "Yugi, we do share one purpose, the ghouls, rare card hunters who step on the hearts of those who love collectible card games. I'm going to smash their operation and then I'm going to smash every single one of them individually." Not that he was sure Yugi believed him or not, but he also added, "I joined forces with you because together, we are an irresistible prize. We'll attract the god-hunting ghouls and kill them. We've already got rid of a few of these scum."

Yugi did believe him as they were a bigger target like this, sure they were considered family now but during a tournament like this. Well it would have made more sense for the two to only meet up at the end during the finals as they were rivals on the dueling field. Then again he had a feeling like Yami did, that there was more going on than Seto was letting on. Speaking of not telling them, he asked, "By the way, how did you get a god card?" He never had one before and it was only during this tournament that Yugi had ever heard of them. How did Seto come across one so easily?

Seto simply replied, "The god card chose me that's all. And not just one card…" He couldn't stop the smirk that developed on his face. "All three of them, they will choose me out of every person in the world."

Now that was the Seto, Yugi knew but there was no way Yugi was going to lose a duel to Seto. Before Yugi could comment further there was a small beeping causing both to stop. Seto tapped the KC on his white over coat causing a voice Yugi knew well to come over the small radio.

" _Hey Seto…"_

"Go ahead Yami," Seto replied back.

" _We found Joey's location on the satellite. He's in 'f' block area 402 around domino aquarium."_

"Good, keep an eye on his location and let us know if he moves." Seto then ended the call and turned to Yugi, "Looks like he's been located."

That was a relief to Yugi but that also made him realize something else. "Crap he's going to be so mad."

"I doubt he'll be mad for long. He would have come after you if I hadn't sent him to Kaiba Corp to locate Joey." Seto let Yugi know as they started heading in the right direction to get to Domino aquarium. No telling what Joey was doing around there of all places.

"Why did you send him and not go yourself?" Yugi asked a little curious. "You must have convince him really well in order for him to not run after me."

Seto hated to admit it but he replied, "Because believe it or not, your little fiancé is a hell of a lot faster working the computers at Kaiba Corp than myself and my team."

"Oh well I already knew that." Yugi said with a grin, "He fixed my laptop in under five minutes. But you all are pretty gifted in your own way."

"I guess I can consider that a compliment."

"It was one Seto, you did create the hologram program for duel monsters and the duel disk. You've created a better world for duel monsters that everyone can enjoy. Every time Kaiba Corp does something everyone is talking about it." Yugi then sighed when something else came to mind, "I know it hasn't been easy for you and your brothers, but you did as you promised and gave them a better life. Sure there were a few bumps in the road along the way."

"I wouldn't call them bumps…" Seto murmured to himself. He wasn't proud of all that he did to Yugi and lots of others to get to that point. It wasn't fully behind him as he was still making up for all his mistakes. "Why are we talking about this anyway? We should be getting to Joey."

Yugi could agree with that but he pointed out. "True but when do we ever get to talk. I feel like I don't know you like I should compared to Yami and Mokuba. I even think Joey might know you a little more than me. But the point of the matter is, even though I will be married to Yami one day and we will be considered family, I want to actually be a family. Not just two people who tolerate each other because I'm with your brother and you're dating my best friend."

Seto actually stopped in his tracks and looked at Yugi not sure what to say to that. He had no clue Yugi felt that way about their relationship. On one hand he did have a point about them not knowing each other. This was one of the very few moments were he was alone with Yugi. Most of the time they were with Yugi's friends or Yami and Mokuba. They had never hung out together as friends. That could be due to the fact that Seto had once only seen Yugi as his rival and the boy who was stealing his twin brother away. However the rival excuse couldn't last anymore, Seto knew something else had to change about himself.

The taller duelist was about to say something but was interrupted when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Seto put up his arm up to protect himself as he caught a glimpse of someone coming at him from above. He felt a weight add to his duel disk as the person flipped and landed in front of them.

He wore the same cloak as the rare hunters and as they looked at his face they saw half of it was covered by a mask. The ghoul chuckled and he chanted, "I gotcha, I gotcha!"

Seto wasn't sure what was meant by that until he looked at his arm that had his duel disk. Some strange metal contraption was now covering his duel disk keeping him from using it. His eyes widen when he realized he couldn't get it off and looked to the one he knew was responsible with a glare.

The ghoul only grinned and stated, "Now that the duelist's chastity belt is on your god cards are locked in place. You look so sad Kaiba…" He could only laugh in victory at his move.

Yugi actually felt sorry for the ghoul as he caught sight of Kaiba's face and how utterly pissed off he looked.

"You scum! You'd better laugh while you can no one touches my duel disk and lives!" Seto sneered as if looks could kill the ghoul would be dead on the spot. Kaiba looked about ready to commit murder at that point.

The short ghoul laughed, "Don't' get your panties in a bunch, there's a key that'll unlock it…" He pointed toward one of the taller buildings around them, "Up there…"

Both duelist looks up at the building and noticed another ghoul wearing a mask standing at the end of the roof holding what looked like the key. Their attention returned to the ghoul in front of them as he spoke again, "You see? We'll be on the roof of the building got it? You'll come too Yugi… If you don't Joey will be eliminated got it?" The way he said it spoke of much more than a mere defeat and that did not sit well not only with Yugi but Seto as well now.

"So come on up to the arena of death!" The ghoul informed them as before their very eyes he easily used the structure of the building to work his way back up to the top without going inside like some kind of spider.

"We have no choice," Seto announced as he looked at Yugi who was in complete agreement. They both headed into the building to work their way to the top and deal with these idiots that dared mess with them.

* * *

When the two reached roof they found the two ghouls standing on a four way skylight window above the store. One was taller than the other and just there looks alone made Yugi get a sense of déjà vu. He couldn't be sure if he seen them before because of the cloaks and masks. They were doing a good job of hiding their identity but either way they were going down like all the other ghouls.

The short one was pleased when they both arrived, "We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? We are assassins of the ghouls. I am Lumis."

"And I am Umbra." The taller one introduced himself.

Yugi and Seto were unimpressed as they glared at the two. Umbra could see that they weren't going to get a response out of either of them but it didn't matter because they had their prey right where they wanted them. Taking the key from his pocket he tossed it toward Kaiba, "Here's the key come and get it." It landed on Seto's side of the sky light forcing the other to walk up onto the sky light to get it.

Once all players were in place Lumis thought it best to lay down some ground rules. "Good, good. Now let me explain the rules got it?" He didn't wait for an answer as he continued, "This is a two on two duel. Duelists who lose their life points will be removed from the game. The team who defeats both opposing players wins. But be careful… when I say 'removed from the game' I mean killed." He finished with a laugh.

"We are standing on the thirteenth floor, the roof of this building," Umbra went on where his dueling partner left off, "The glass under our feet is a skylight which leads all the way down to the ground floor. In other words this pane of glass is the only thing supporting our lives. Each one of the four sections has its own explosive device attached to it. An explosive device that will destroy the glass the moment the life counter hits zero" He pointed out to the two across from them. Each explosive device at each corner had a counter showing each player's life points. "We call it the explosive tag team match of death. Sounds fun huh?"

Both Yugi and Seto remained silent, the only movement coming from Seto as he unlocked his duel disk.

Lumis chuckled, "Too scared to speak…?"

"Is that all you have to say?" Seto questioned with a glare not in the mood for any of this anymore. He tossed the device from his duel disk freeing it once again. "In that case I'll answer with my deck and it's furious!"

Seto and Yugi were far from scared of the two in front of them. They were strong duelists who never backed down from a challenge. The only problem they didn't know the hidden secrets the mask duelists before them held and what trouble they had just gotten themselves into.

* * *

 **Sakura:** Time for Seto and Yugi to kick some ass again! A little change made to this chapter if anyone noticed. In the manga Lumis and Umbra are actually going by the names Mask of Light and Mask of Darkness. Didn't like those names so I used the ones from the anime so it would be easy to type. Other than that I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!

And I had an important message at the top of this chapter if anyone skipped it about updates, plus I'll have something posted on my profile about it.

 **Please Review!**


End file.
